Formaldehyde exposure and respiratory cancer among woodworkers--an update.

Abstract

, MA2PARTANEN T, KAUPPINEN T, HERNBERG S, NICKELS J , LUUKKONEN R, HAKULINEN T, PUKKALAE. Formaldehyde exposure and respiratory cancer among woodworkers -an update. Scand J Work En viron Health 1990;16:394-400. Respiratory cancer was examined in relation to occupational formaldehyde exposure in a case-referent study (136 cases, 408 referents) nested in a woodworker cohort. Plant-and time-specific job-exposure matrices were constructed for formaldehyde exposure. Over 3 ppmmonths of formaldehyde exposure was associated with an odds ratio of 1.4 [90 % confidence interval (90 070 CI) 0.5-4.1]. The odds ratios for lung cancer were near unity, the excess risk concentrating on the upper respiratory tract. That for combined exposure to formaldehyde-phenol exposure (all respiratory cancers) was 1.6(90 070 CI 0.6-4.4) but 1.0 for formaldehydeonly. No consistent exposure-response patterns emerged for the level, duration, or cumulative exposure. The results are hardly more than debatable support for the hypothesis concerning formaldehyde as a carcinogen in humans, the possible risk seemingly concentrating on the upper respiratory tract rather than the lung.

Mortality from solid tumors among workers in formaldehyde industries: An update of the NCI cohort

“…Most other studies have shown no association with lung cancer, [Fayerweather et al, 1983;Walrath and Fraumeni, 1983;Levine et al, 1984;Walrath and Fraumeni, 1984;Bond et al, 1986;Edling et al, 1987;Gerin et al, 1989;Hayes et al, 1990;Partanen et al, 1990;Brownson et al, 1993;Andjelkovich et al, 1995;Hansen and Olsen, 1995;Chiazze et al, 1997;Marsh et al, 2001;Pinkerton et al, 2004] although some studies have indicated some evidence of a positive association [Coggon et al, 1984[Coggon et al, , 2003Bertazzi et al, 1986;Stroup et al, 1986;Hall et al, 1991;Stellman et al, 1998;Marsh et al, 2001;Checkoway et al, 2011]. As one of the most common cancers and a cancer site commonly associated with occupational exposures, this site is of considerable interest.…”

Formaldehyde exposure and respiratory cancer--a meta-analysis of the epidemiologic evidence.

“…The recent updating of the data on Finnish woodworkers by Partanen et al (14) provided, forthe qualitative analysis, OR values for lung cancer, with adjustment for age, smoking, and vital status at the time of data collection.…”

Assessment of the effect of occupational exposure to formaldehyde on the risk of lung cancer in two Canadian population-based case–control studies

“…Some of the older studies used job title (often embalmers or pathologists) as a proxy for exposure (8, 14-17, 19, 21) or a more elaborate job exposure matrix (JEM) but focused on the last job held as indicated on the death certificate (27). Other methods included the use of (i) employment records (2,6,7,9,10,12,13,18,22,25,26), (ii) a JEM, (iii) industrial hygiene data (2,6,10,18,22,23,25,26), or (iv) selfreport of exposure to formaldehyde (11,20,24) or occupational history (23,28). Information on smoking, a key potential confounder, was available and accounted for in the analyses in only seven studies (6,11,20,22,24,25,28), some of which had large proportions of missing values for smoking variables.…”