A case-control study of mesothelioma and employment in the Hawaii sugarcane industry

Details

• Personal Author:
  Anderson B ; Goodman MT ; Kolonel LN ; Sinks T
• Description:
  The possibility that mesothelioma might be associated with exposure to biogenic silica (7631869) fibers was investigated among workers in the Hawaiian sugarcane industry (SIC-0133). Employment in the sugarcane industry was established according to three sources: death certificates, the 1942 to 1943 Hawaii population census, and the 1961 to 1988 lists of active and retired members of the International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union. A case control study was conducted of Hawaii residents who developed mesothelioma from 1960 through 1987 and were subsequently listed in the Hawaii Tumor Registry. A total of 93 Hawaii residents were identified with mesothelioma. Death certificates were obtained for 85 of the 88 deceased. Exposure to biogenic silica fibers, as determined by employment in the sugarcane industry, did not appear to be an important risk factor for mesothelioma. An exceptionally high risk of mesothelioma was associated with work at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, probably due to asbestos (1332214) exposure. The risk of mesothelioma was increased among persons who worked in the construction industry, machinery, or transportation industry. The authors suggest these increases are due to asbestos exposure and not to any possible biogenic silica fiber exposure. Six cases had worked in the medical field. The authors conclude that biogenic silica fibers did not appear to present an important risk factor for mesothelioma, but they add that they did not collect detailed employment histories for all cases and controls. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Asbestos Carcinogens Construction Industry Epidemiology Inorganic Chemicals Lung Lung Diseases Neoplasms Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Silicon Dioxide Transportation

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• Keywords:
  Asbestos Asbestos-fibers Author Keywords: Sugarcane Growing Biogenic Silica Fibers Cancer-rates Case-control Study Construction-workers Lung-cancer Mesothelioma NIOSH-Author Respiratory-system-disorders Risk-factors Silica-dusts Sugar-industry Sugarcane Workers Transportation-workers

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• ISSN:
  1044-3983
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Hawaii ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 9
• 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
• Pages in Document:
  466-468
• Volume:
  5
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00226644
• Citation:
  Epidemiology 1994 Jul; 5(4):466-468
• CAS Registry Number:
  Asbestos (CAS RN 1332-21-4) ; Silica (CAS RN 7631-86-9)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1994
• NORA Priority Area:
  Pulmonary System Disorders
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  0133 - Sugarcane and sugar beets - (SIC)
• Source Full Name:
  Epidemiology
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ff0ce83f57b5c816a91f100e90de048c215bb5b6c1f701ae531ffd042a91b6388f8ff86fb70944aecce2615ee282702e9c0be64d4d8e7af7a5bbddbd9bef9c69
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/203982/cdc_203982_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.21 MB ]