An industry-wide epidemiologic study of vinyl chloride workers, 1942-1982

The cohort consisted of 10,173 men who had worked for at least one year in jobs involving exposure to vinyl chloride prior to 1 January 1973. These men were employed at 37 plants in the U.S., belonging to 17 companies. Observation of the mortality experience of the cohort was updated from 31 December 1972 to 31 December 1982 (the study now covering 1942-1982). A total of 1,536 cohort members were identified as having died. The observed mortality, by cause, was compared with the expected based on U.S. mortality rates, standardized for age, race, and calendar time. Analyses by length of exposure, latency, age at first exposure, calendar year of first exposure, and type of products were performed. The study confirmed that the vinyl chloride workers experience a significant mortality excesses in angiosarcoma (15 deaths), cancer of the liver and biliary tract (SMR = 641), and cancer of the brain and other central nervous system (SMR = 180). In addition, the study also found a significant mortality excess in emphysema/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (SMR = 179). On the other hand, the study did not find any excess in either respiratory cancer or lymphatic and hematopoietic cancer. This study also found an increase in biliary tract cancers, independent from liver cancer.     

A cohort mortality and cancer incidence survey of recent entrants (1982-91) to the UK rubber industry: findings for 1983-2004

AIM: To monitor the occurrence of cancer in a recently defined cohort of UK rubber workers. METHODS: A cohort of 8651 male and female workers from 41 UK rubber factories has been enumerated. All employees had a minimum of 12 months employment and were first employed at one of the participating factories in the period 1982-91. Mortality and cancer incidence data for the period 1983-2004 were compared with expected values based on appropriate national rates. RESULTS: Mortality from lung cancer was close to expectation for males [observed 22, standardized mortality ratio (SMR) 93] and females (observed 2, SMR 70). Mortality from stomach cancer was also unexceptional in males (observed 4, SMR 86) and females (observed 0, SMR 0). Although based on small numbers, significantly elevated mortality was shown for multiple myeloma in males (observed 5, SMR 385) and females (observed 2, SMR 952). All seven of these latter deaths occurred in workers from the general rubber goods (GRG) sector. CONCLUSIONS: The findings should be treated with caution as they relate to a relatively early period of follow-up. Nevertheless, they hold out the prospect that the elevated SMRs for stomach and lung cancers reported for historical cohorts of UK rubber workers will not be present in more recent cohorts. The elevated occurrence of multiple myeloma may represent no more than a chance finding. Alternatively, these findings may reflect the presence of an unrecognized occupational cancer hazard in parts of the GRG sector of the UK rubber industry.