A retrospective cohort mortality study of workers exposed to formaldehyde in the garment industry.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Blade, Leo M. ; Elliott L ; Halperin, William E. ; Keenlyside, Richard A. ; Stayner, Leslie T.
• Description:
  A study of cancer mortality in garment workers exposed to formaldehyde (50000) was conducted. The cohort consisted of 11,030 workers employed at three factories where shirts were manufactured from formaldehyde treated fabrics between 1955 and December 31, 1977. Vital status of the cohort as of December 31, 1982 was determined. Death certificates were examined. Standardized mortality rates (SMRs) were computed using expected death rates of the United States population as the reference population. Industrial hygiene sampling for formaldehyde, phenol (108952), organic vapors, and nuisance dust was done at the facilities. A total of 609 deaths occurred, for which 587 death certificates were obtained. Geometric mean formaldehyde exposures were 0.14 to 0.17 parts per million (ppm). No phenol was detected. Organic vapor exposures ranged from nondetectable to 5.0ppm for methylchloroform (71556) and up to 1.0ppm for 1,1,2-trichloroethane (79005). Nuisance dust concentrations ranged up to 1.5mg/m3. Mortality from cancer of the buccal cavity and connective tissue was significantly elevated, having SMRs of 343 and 364, respectively. Nonsignificant excesses of mortality from cancer of the trachea, bronchus, and lung, pharynx, bladder, leukemia and aleukemia, and other lymphopoietic neoplasms were observed. With the exception of cancer of the trachea, bronchus, and lung, cancer mortality increased with increasing duration of exposure or latency. Mortality from cancer of the trachea, bronchus, and lung appeared to be inversely related to duration of exposure or latency. The authors conclude that the results, although not conclusive, suggest a possible relationship between formaldehyde exposure and upper respiratory cancers, leukemias, and lymphopoietic neoplasms. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aldehydes Formaldehyde Lung Lung Diseases Mortality Neoplasms Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Textile Industry

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• Keywords:
  Garment-workers Lung-cancer Malignant-neoplasms Mortality-rates NIOSH-Author Occupational-exposure Occupational-health
• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  13
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00181177
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 1988 Jun; 13(6):667-681
• CAS Registry Number:
  1,1,1-Trichloroethane (CAS RN 71-55-6) ; 1,1,2-Trichloroethane (CAS RN 79-00-5) ; Formaldehyde (CAS RN 50-00-0) ; Phenol (CAS RN 108-95-2)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1988
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4db8c4e214b0296b547907420b606f22c7b0beec1dc8003dcab48a2abf94fcc11ddb0df0d748d5b394e77d5a7cb7a16d33c2e78996e341c4beb75653964263d9
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/185583/cdc_185583_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 969.85 KB ]