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A case‐control study of renal cancer mortality at a texas chemical plant
Author(s) -
Bond Gregory G.,
Shellenberger Rita J.,
Flores George H.,
Cook Ralph R.,
Fishbeck William A.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.4700070205
Subject(s) - medicine , asbestos , odds ratio , environmental health , case control study , cancer , bladder cancer , toxicology , occupational disease , demography , surgery , materials science , sociology , metallurgy , biology
An in‐plant case‐control study of 26 renal cancer deaths was conducted to determine whether an occupational exposure may be related to an apparent increase in mortality from this disease observed among a sample of employees at a multiple process chemical production facility. None was found that explained the excess. Elevated odds ratios were identified for employment in the cell maintenance area of chlorine production and with those presumptive exposures considered to occur in this job, asbestos and caustic, but not chlorine. While an association between renal cancer and asbestos has been previously reported, an association with caustic, per se, is not consistent with prior observations made by others. Diminished risk estimates were observed for employment in magnesium production and for exposures in this process to sulfur dioxide and heat. Both the increased and decreased risks, while statistically significant, are based on small numbers of exposed subjects and may be spurious owing to the problem of multiple comparisons.