Temporal Variation in the Association between Benzene and Leukemia Mortality

Details

• Journal Article:
  Environ Health Perspect
• Personal Author:
  Richardson, David B.
• Description:
  Background
  
  Benzene is a human carcinogen. Exposure to benzene occurs in occupational and environmental settings.
  
  Objective
  
  I evaluated variation in benzene-related leukemia with age at exposure and time since exposure.
  
  Methods
  
  I evaluated data from a cohort of 1,845 rubber hydrochloride workers. Benzene exposure–leukemia mortality trends were estimated by applying proportional hazards regression methods. Temporal variation in the impact of benzene on leukemia rates was assessed via exposure time windows and fitting of a multistage cancer model.
  
  Results
  
  The association between leukemia mortality and benzene exposures was of greatest magnitude in the 10 years immediately after exposure [relative rate (RR) at 10 ppm-years = 1.19; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.10–1.29]; the association was of smaller magnitude in the period 10 to < 20 years after exposure (RR at 10 ppm-years = 1.05; 95% CI, 0.97–1.13); and there was no evidence of association ≥ 20 years after exposure. Leukemia was more strongly associated with benzene exposures accrued at ≥ 45 years of age (RR at 10 ppm-years = 1.11; 95% CI, 1.04–1.17) than with exposures accrued at younger ages (RR at 10 ppm-years = 1.01; 95% CI, 0.92–1.09). Jointly, these temporal effects can be efficiently modeled as a multistage process in which benzene exposure affects the penultimate stage in disease induction.
  
  Conclusions
  
  Further attention should be given to evaluating the susceptibility of older workers to benzene-induced leukemia.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Age Factors Benzene Carcinogens Chemical Industry Cohort Studies Leukemia Mortality Occupational Diseases Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Time Factors

  More +
• Keywords:
  Risk-factors; Risk-analysis; Mortality-data; Occupational-diseases; Diseases; Occupational-exposure; Chemical-hypersensitivity; Cancer-rates; Age-factors; Solvent-vapors; Solvents; Carcinogens; Benzenes; Blood-disorders
• Source:
  Environ Health Perspect. 2008; 116(3):370-374.
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  K01 OH008635/OH/NIOSH CDC HHS/United States
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  North Carolina ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  5 pdf pages
• Volume:
  116
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20033895
• CAS Registry Number:
  Benzene (CAS RN 71-43-2)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2008
• NORA Priority Area:
  Manufacturing
• Performing Organization:
  University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:96b6d0d41d817306480ca91f9bb3c7b08b8f2fd119edf0fe477e0222ff2397554957bb1c3763f8d3db98a898a1228e848b0989f1f390041e99949b5f5d645f18
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/31494/cdc_31494_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 142.36 KB ]