Testicular cancer, dimethylformamide, and leather tanneries

Details

• Personal Author:
  Calvert, Geoffrey M. ; Fajen, John M. ; Halperin, William E. ; Hills, Bruce W.
• Description:
  A testicular cancer screening program was offered to all known former and current male finishing department workers employed at a tannery from 1975 to 1989, to investigate a report of a cluster of three men with testicular cancer who worked in the finishing department of the tannery. Testicular cancer was not found in any of the 51 workers screened. An industrial hygiene evaluation of the finishing department was done in April, 1989. The results of air samples indicated that there were no detectable levels of dimethylformamide (68122) (DMF), trace metals, nitrosamines, benzidine (92875), or aldehydes. Personal air samples had a mean concentration of 0.65mg/m3 for 2-ethoxyethanol (110805), 0.23 mg/m3 for 2-ethoxyethylacetate (111159), 4.2mg/m3 for 2-butoxyethanol (111762), and 4.0mg/m3 for diisobutyl-ketone (108838). One participant reported a history of alcohol intolerance. This worker frequently had to reach into drums of DMF containing dyes and denied ever using personal protective equipment such as gloves or a respirator. Two individuals had liver injury and both men had conditions apart from DMF exposure that could have been responsible for this problem. According to the authors, results confirm the excess of testicular cancer at the tannery. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Amides Digestive System Digestive System Diseases Liver Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety Urogenital Diseases Urogenital System
• Keywords:
  Leather-industry Leather-workers Liver-damage NIOSH-Author Occupational-exposure Reproductive-hazards Reproductive-system-disorders Tanning-industry
• ISSN:
  0140-6736
• 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:
  336
• Issue:
  8725
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00199977
• Citation:
  Lancet 1990 Nov; 336(8725):1253-1254
• CAS Registry Number:
  2-Butoxyethanol (CAS RN 111-76-2) ; 4,4'-Diaminodiphenyl (CAS RN 92-87-5) ; Dimethylformamide (CAS RN 68-12-2) ; Glycol monoethyl ether (CAS RN 110-80-5) ; Glycol monoethyl ether acetate (CAS RN 111-15-9) ; Isobutyl ketone (CAS RN 108-83-8)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1991
• NORA Priority Area:
  Reproductive System Disorders
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  The Lancet
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:09c7bd42eeb91f8d704a6a8c62f6ff7ef9bbabc8e71964c37b6fe47251b39fe147101f357487e3a6f8d211bae7ee4a7204f3bbb1b44b599996b1f0f9dae22d07
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/205680/cdc_205680_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 359.55 KB ]