Cancer incidence of Taiwanese shipbreaking workers who have been potentially exposed to asbestos

et al. 2015

PLoS ONE

Self Cite

PurposeLong-term follow-up studies of asbestos-related cancer in shipbreaking workers are lacking. This study examines the relationship between cancer incidence and asbestos exposure among former Taiwan shipbreaking workers.MethodsA total of 4,427 shipbreaking workers and 22,135 population-based matched controls were successfully followed in this study. The study cohort was linked to the Taiwan Cancer Registry for new cancer cases. The adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) for cancer was calculated for the shipbreaking workers with Total Exposure Potential Scores (TEP) for asbestos.ResultsFollow-up generated 109,932 person-years, with 940 deaths and 436 cancer cases, among 4,427 shipbreaking workers from 1985 to 2008. The high asbestos exposure group also had a statistically significant increase in the risk of overall cancer (aHR= 1.71; 95% CI: 1.42-2.05), esophagus cancer (aHR= 2.31; 95% CI: 1.00-5.41), liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer (aHR= 1.60; 95% CI: 1.08-2.36), and trachea, bronchus, and lung cancer (aHR= 3.08; 95% CI: 1.80-5.25). Mesothelioma cases were found in the high asbestos exposure group. Moreover, overall cancer, esophagus cancer, and trachea, bronchus, and lung cancer were seen in a dose-dependent relationship with asbestos exposure.ConclusionsThis study presented the elevated trend of asbestos exposure with cancer incidence for overall cancer, esophagus cancer, and trachea, bronchus, and lung cancer among shipbreaking workers. Those workers previously exposed to asbestos should receive persistent monitoring in order to early detect adverse health outcomes.

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cancer Attributable to Asbestos Exposure in Shipbreaking Workers: A Matched-Cohort Study

et al. 2015

PLoS ONE

Self Cite

“…According to the Taiwan Cancer Registry file, 54 incident cases of MPM were diagnosed in 2010 [ 16 ]. Since more than 90% of the cancers were attributable to asbestos in male workers and about one-quarter in female workers [ 19 ], we might expect many cases of MPM in the current study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Elevated risk of all cancer, oral cancer, and lung cancer was documented among male shipbreaking workers. The flame cutters had highest risk of lung cancer, and one deceased man in this occupation died of pleural cancer [ 14 ] younger than 40 years, and two cases of mesothelioma were found by linkage with Taiwan's health insurance database and Taiwan Cancer Registry [ 15 , 16 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increased Standardised Incidence Ratio of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma in Taiwanese Asbestos Workers: A 29-Year Retrospective Cohort Study

BioMed Research International

Wang

et al. 2015

Objective. This paper aimed to determine the standardised incidence ratio (SIR) of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) in workers exposed to asbestos in Taiwan. Methods. All workers employed in asbestos-related factories and registered by the Bureau of Labour Insurance between 1 March, 1950, and 31 December, 1989, were included in the study and were followed from 1 January, 1980, through 31 December, 2009. Incident cases of all cancers, including MPM (ICD-9 code: 163), were obtained from the Taiwan Cancer Registry. SIRs were calculated based on comparison with the incidence rate of the general population of Taiwan and adjusted for age, calendar period, sex, and duration of employment. Results. The highest SIR of MPM was found for male workers first employed before 1979, with a time since first employment more than 30 years (SIR 4.52, 95% CI: 2.25–8.09). After consideration of duration of employment, the SIR for male MPM was 5.78 (95% CI: 1.19–16.89) for the workers employed for more than 20 years in asbestos-related factories. Conclusions. This study corroborates the association between occupational asbestos exposure and MPM. The highest risk of MPM was found among male asbestos workers employed before 1979 and working for more than 20 years in asbestos-related factories.

“…Most unmanufactured asbestos was consumed in four sectors: asbestos cement, abrasion resistant products, insulation, and textiles [ 7 ]. Meanwhile, Taiwan dominated the worldwide ship demolition industry to extract raw materials from ships to support domestic industrial development [ 8 ]; however, data on asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) from these demolished vessels are lacking.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transnational Dynamics Amid Poor Regulations: Taiwan’s Asbestos Ban Actions and Experiences

Wang

et al. 2017

IJERPH

This article describes the history of the asbestos use regulation process in Taiwan and the associated factors leading to its total ban in 2018. Despite the long history of asbestos mining and manufacturing since the Japanese colonial period, attempts to understand the impact of asbestos on the health of the population and to control its use did not emerge until the early 1980s. We attempted to investigate the driving forces and obstructions involved in asbestos regulations by reviewing available public sources and scientific journal articles and conducting interviews with key propagators of the asbestos regulation and ban. Correlation between asbestos exposure and asbestos-related diseases has already been established; however, authorities have been unable to effectively regulate the extensive application of asbestos in various light industries that support economic growth since the 1960s. More stringent regulations on asbestos use in industries and an eventual ban were caused indirectly by appeals made by visionary scholars and healthcare professionals but also due to the subsidence of asbestos-related industries. With the elucidation of factors that affect asbestos regulation and ban, a thorough long-term healthcare plan for the neglected victims of asbestos-related diseases and upstream measures for policy change must be developed.