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A case‐control study of lung cancer at a dye and resin manufacturing plant
Author(s) -
Barbone Fabio,
Delzell Elizabeth,
Austin Harland,
Cole Philip
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.4700220606
Subject(s) - medicine , odds ratio , lung cancer , confidence interval , case control study , confounding , cohort study , environmental health , surgery , toxicology , biology
This case‐control study evaluated the relationship between lung cancer and occupational factors among employees at a dye and resin manufacturing plant. The study included 51 lung cancer cases and 102 controls who were members of a cohort of workers investigated in a previous retrospective follow‐up study. Information on area of employment and on potential exposure to certain chemicals was obtained from plant personnel and medical records and from interviews with long‐term employees. Information on potential confounders, including cigarette smoking, was obtained by interviewing study subjects or their next‐of‐kin. The odds ratio (OR) for heavy smokers compared with light or nonsmokers was 5.9 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.4–15). An elevated OR for lung cancer was observed for subjects who worked in the anthraquinone dye and epichlorohydrin manufacturing area of the plant (OR = 2.4; 95% CI = 1.1–5.2) and for employees who were seen at the plant infirmary for acute exposure to chlorine (OR, adjusted for smoking = 27; 95% CI = 3.5–205). Pipefitters employed at the plant for five or more years also had an elevated OR (3.3; 95% CI = 0.8–14).