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Mortality and incidence of bladder cancer in benzidine‐exposed workers in China
Author(s) -
Bi Wenfang,
Hayes Richard B.,
Feng Peiwen,
Qi Yuiyong,
You Xiejun,
Zhen Jigang,
Zhang Minqi,
Qu Baoqing,
Fu Zhenying,
Chen Melody,
Chien Harvey T. Co,
Blot William J.
Publication year - 1992
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.4700210404
Subject(s) - benzidine , medicine , bladder cancer , incidence (geometry) , population , standardized mortality ratio , chinese population , carcinogen , cancer , toxicology , environmental health , chemistry , organic chemistry , biochemistry , physics , biology , genotype , optics , gene
We examined bladder cancer mortality and incidence to 1981 in 1,972 workers employed in benzidine‐exposed jobs in Tianjin, Shanghai, and Jilin, China, between 1972 and 1977, and in 1,974 unexposed workers employed during the same time period. In comparison to general population rates, in the benzidine‐exposed group the ratio of observed to expected deaths (SMR) was 17.5 (95% C.I.: 7.5–34.5) and the ratio of observed to expected incident cases (SIR) was 25.0 (95% C.I.: 16.9–35.7). No excess was noted in the unexposed group. The 25‐fold increase in bladder cancer incidence in the exposed group was related to level of exposure, with the SIR rising from 4.8 for low exposure to 36.2 for medium exposure, and 158.4 for high exposure. Risks were elevated both for producers of benzidine (SIR = 45.7; 95% C.I.: 20.9–86.8) and for users (SIR = 20.9; 95% C.I.: 12.9–32.0) of benzidine dyes. Benzidine‐exposed workers who smoked tobacco had a 31‐fold risk (95% C.I.: 20.4–46.4), while non‐smoking workers had an 11‐fold risk (95% C.I.: 3.6–25.8), suggestive of a multiplicative relationship between these two carcinogens.