Lung Cancer and Vehicle Exhaust in Trucking Industry Workers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Davis ME ; Eisen EA ; Garshick E ; Hart JE ; Laden F ; Rosner B ; Smith, Thomas J. ; Davis ME ; Eisen EA ; Garshick E ; Hart JE ; Laden F ; Rosner B ; Smith, Thomas J.
• Description:
  BACKGROUND: An elevated risk of lung cancer in truck drivers has been attributed to diesel exhaust exposure. Interpretation of these studies specifically implicating diesel exhaust as a carcinogen has been limited because of limited exposure measurements and lack of work records relating job title to exposure-related job duties. OBJECTIVES: We established a large retrospective cohort of trucking company workers to assess the association of lung cancer mortality and measures of vehicle exhaust exposure. METHODS: Work records were obtained for 31,135 male workers employed in the unionized U.S. trucking industry in 1985. We assessed lung cancer mortality through 2000 using the National Death Index, and we used an industrial hygiene review and current exposure measurements to identify jobs associated with current and historical use of diesel-, gas-, and propane-powered vehicles. We indirectly adjusted for cigarette smoking based on an industry survey. RESULTS: Adjusting for age and a healthy-worker survivor effect, lung cancer hazard ratios were elevated in workers with jobs associated with regular exposure to vehicle exhaust. Mortality risk increased linearly with years of employment and was similar across job categories despite different current and historical patterns of exhaust-related particulate matter from diesel trucks, city and highway traffic, and loading dock operations. Smoking behavior did not explain variations in lung cancer risk. CONCLUSIONS: Trucking industry workers who have had regular exposure to vehicle exhaust from diesel and other types of vehicles on highways, city streets, and loading docks have an elevated risk of lung cancer with increasing years of work. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Automobiles Carcinogens Environmental Exposure Lung Lung Diseases Men Morbidity Mortality Neoplasms Occupational Health Particulate Matter Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Smokers Tobacco Products Vehicle Emissions Workplace

  More +
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Diesel Exhaust Cigarette Smoking Diesel Emissions Diesel Exhausts Emission Sources Exhaust Gases Exposure Levels Humans Lung Cancer Morbidity Rates Mortality Rates Motor Vehicles Occupational Exposure Particulate Matter Particulates Risk Factors Traffic Truck Drivers Trucking Work Environment Workers

  More +
• ISSN:
  0091-6765
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article ; Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Maine ; Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health ; Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America ; North America
• Volume:
  116
• Issue:
  10
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20055807
• Citation:
  Environ Health Perspect 2008 Oct; 116(10):1327-1332
• Contact Point Address:
  E. Garshick, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Section, VA Boston Healthcare System, 1400 VFW Pkwy., West Roxbury, MA 02132
• Email:
  eric.garshick@va.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2009
• Performing Organization:
  Harvard School of Public Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Environmental Health Perspectives
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:10c2fd5ecd662fdea22486fefa8da7b09f788395b7a073cfd1dfdc4c49c1ff178488fce16bb13b6a3a22ffd5138307bc7ab4ee3b4896f0c01a85e5843f502cae
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/213576/cdc_213576_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 181.02 KB ]