Chemical exposures and central nervous system cancers: A case‐control study among workers at two nuclear facilities

Abstract

In a nested case-control study of workers employed between 1943 and 1977 at two nuclear facilities, we evaluated the possible association of primary CNS cancers with occupational exposure to chemicals. Seventy-two white male and 17 white female workers who, according to the information on death certificates, died of primary CNS cancers were identified as cases. For each case, four controls were matched on race, sex, facility at which initially employed (cohort), year of birth, and year of hire. Each job title/department combination was subjectively evaluated for potential exposure to each of 26 chemicals or chemical groups. Statistically significant associations were not found between CNS cancer deaths and any of the 26 chemicals. An increased risk of CNS cancer occurrence was observed among subjects employed for more than 20 yr (OR = 7.0, 95% CI = 1.2,41.1, cases = 9).

A mortality study of beryllium workers

“…The results on mortality from other causes were not remarkable. Among the causes of death reported to be increased in previous analyses of beryllium workers are COPD , kidney cancer and chronic kidney disease , and cancer of the central nervous system : these findings were not confirmed in the present cohort.…”

Cohort mortality study of workers at seven beryllium processing plants: update and associations with cumulative and maximum exposure

“…Nervous system cancers, which showed a positive trend with cumulative exposure, have been found to be associated with duration of employment in high-exposed jobs among beryllium workers at a US nuclear facility 7 42…”

Cancer incidence among Finnish workers exposed to aromatic hydrocarbons

“…In at least two independent study populations the sites that have emerged most consistently are lymphohematopoietic tissues and the pancreas for exposure to styrene [17,19,20] and the lung [32,35], gastrointestinal tract [30,32,35,36], brain [7,31], and lymphohematopoietic tissues [5,25,32,36] for exposure to toluene or xylene.…”