Document 4aDMzOyX7eEyMqd8359xe2YmG

FILE NAME Dental Asbestos DEN DATE 1986 DOC DEN005 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Journal Article - British Journal of Industrial Medicine - A Survey of Cancer and Occupation in Young and Middle Aged Men - Cancers of the Respiratory Tract - First Page British Journal of Industrial Medicine 332 33. 8 ee ee eee A survey of cancer and occupation in young and middle aged men I Cancers of the respiratory tract D COGGON B PANNETT COSMOND COSMOND AND ED ED ACHESON From the MRC Environmental Epidemiology Unit University of Southampton Southampton General Hospital Southampton SO9 4XY UK ABSTRACT In search for clues to previously unrecognised industrial carcinogens the occupational and smoking histories of young and middle aged men with different types of cancer were compared The study population comprised men aged 18-54 and resident in the counties of Cleveland Humberside and Cheshire including the Wirral From hospital and cancer registration records 2942 members of the study population in whom cancers were diagnosed during the period 1975-80 were identified retrospectively The occupationaloccupational and smoking histories of these patients were sought by a postal questionnaire addressed either to the patients themselves or if they had died to their next of kin The overall response rate to the questionnaire was 52-1 Additionally limited occupational information was obtained for % of cases from their hospital notes Analysis of these data suggests that no serious bias arose as a consequence of the incomplete response to the questionnaiThries concentrates on the results for cancers ofof the respiratory tract and mesothelioma Meso- paper thelioma was found to cluster in laggers electricians and shipyard workers and nasal carcinoma in woodworkers Carcinomasof the larynx and of the bronchus were examined by formal statistical techniques each being compared with a control group made up of all other cancers combined Several interesting occupational and industrialindustrial associations were shown in particular an excess of bronchial carcinoma in the leather industry RR = 2-6 CI 1-2-6-0 in building labourers RR = 1-7 CI 1-0-2-9 and other construction workers RR = 1.8 CI 1-0-3-0 in bakers and pastry cooks RR = 3.6 CI 1-3-10-4 and in cooks RR = 2.5 CI 2 5.In1 addition a small cluster of lung tumours was observeod bserved in men who had worked as dental mechanics Most of the known occupational causes of cancer were discovered through the alertness of observant clinicians It is significant however that two hazards risk of bladder cancer in rubber work- ers and of nasal carcinoma in boot and shoe manufa camc e tot lighu t inr cidene tallr y ins the course of epidemiological investigations.In both instances the choice of the population under study was fortuitous Similar surveys carried out in other geo- graphical areas would not have shown the hazards Such chance findings suggest that systematic epidemiological searches might disclose further as yet unrecognised occupational carcinogens To date attempts to screen populations for oc- cupational risks of cancer wimet t wh ith only limited success Several promising clues have been generated Accepted9 September 1985 but few have been adequately followed up Possibly the sensitivity of screening studies could be improved by concentrating on cancers occurring at young ages Such an approach has several potential advantages Diagnostic data should be more accurate since clinical investigation is generally more thorough in young people Occupational information should also be more reliable because the employment histories of back less far in time In addition highest and therefore most readily detectable at young ages This effect will if anything be exaggerated for recently introduced carcinogens to which cumu- lative exposure is similar in all age groups ifa hazard has been present for many years older workers will tend to have the greatest cumulative exposure We describe here a survey in which we have com- pared the occupational histories of young and middle 332