Metalworking fluid exposure and cancer risk in a retrospective cohort of female autoworkers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Betenia N ; Costello S ; Eisen EA ; Friesen MC
• Description:
  OBJECTIVES: Metalworking fluids (MWFs) have been associated with cancer of several sites, but the risks have been primarily examined in men or in studies that adjusted for gender in analyses. To evaluate whether risks were similar in women, we report cancer mortality risk among 4,825 female autoworkers within the united autoworkers-general motors autoworkers cohort. METHODS: Standardized mortality rates (SMRs) were calculated based on Michigan death rates (1980-2004). Internal comparisons (1941-2004) were examined using Cox regression for straight, soluble, and synthetic MWFs, and their corresponding oil- and water-based fractions. RESULTS: MWF exposure levels in the female cohort were generally less than two-third the MWF levels in the male cohort. Female autoworkers had an excess of cancer from all sites (SMR, 1.10; 95 % confidence interval (CI), 0.98-1.22) and lung cancer (SMR, 2.08; 95 % CI, 1.71-2.52). Colon cancer risk increased with straight (mineral oil) MWF exposure (exposure > median; hazard ratio = 3.1; 95 % CI, 1.2-8.0). A protective effect was observed for ovarian cancer with the soluble MWFs and water-based MWF metrics. Although bladder, rectal, and laryngeal cancers and malignant melanoma have been associated with straight MWF exposure and pancreatic cancer with synthetic MWF in men, there were too few deaths in this female subcohort to examine exposure-response relations for these sites. Results were null for lung and breast cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support an association between colon cancer and straight MWFs, but we found limited evidence of risk for other tumor sites at the lower exposure levels experienced by the female autoworkers. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Automobiles Cohort Studies Lung Lung Diseases Men Metals Morbidity Mortality Neoplasms Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Women

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• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Metalworking Fluids Automotive-industry Cancer Cancer Mortality Cohort Studies Colon Cancer; Exposure-levels Humans Lung-cancer Metalworking-fluids Morbidity-rates Mortality-rates Pulmonary-function Pulmonary-system Pulmonary-system-disorders Risk-factors Women's Health

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• ISSN:
  0957-5243
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Maryland ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  23
• Issue:
  7
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20041652
• Citation:
  Cancer Causes Control 2012 Jul; 23(7):1075-1082
• Contact Point Address:
  M. C. Friesen, Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, National Cancer Institute, 6120 Executive Blvd, North Bethesda, MD 20892
• Email:
  friesenmc@mail.nih.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2012
• Performing Organization:
  University of California, Berkeley
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20070801
• Source Full Name:
  Cancer Causes and Control
• End Date:
  20100731
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8ad99b21869a28cae58c2653b9177e629c5bdeb0f576a0e328e4b0e3737748abb3b61883d488dd91e8ee423a3dc5d622634516391dd234bdae54c6e726b01858
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/194152/cdc_194152_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 226.69 KB ]