Mortality of employees of a perfluorooctanesulphonyl fluoride manufacturing facility

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate the mortality experience of a cohort of employees of a perfluorooctanesulphonyl fluoride (POSF) based fluorochemical production facility. Methods: A retrospective cohort mortality study followed all workers with at least one year of cumulative employment at the facility. The jobs held by cohort members were assigned to one of three exposure subgroups; high exposed, low exposed, and non-exposed, based on biological monitoring data for perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS). Results: A total of 145 deaths were identified in the 2083 cohort members. Sixty five deaths occurred among workers ever employed in high exposed jobs. The overall mortality rates for the cohort and the exposure subcohorts were lower than expected in the general population. Two deaths from liver cancer were observed in the workers with at least one year of high or low exposure (standardised mortality ratio (SMR) 3.08, 95% CI 0.37 to 11.10). The risk of death from bladder cancer was increased for the entire cohort (three observed, SMR 4.81, 95% CI 0.99 to 14.06). All three bladder cancers occurred among workers who held a high exposure job (SMR 12.77, 95% CI 2.63 to 37.35). The bladder cancer cases primarily worked in non-production jobs, including maintenance and incinerator and wastewater treatment plant operations. Conclusion: Workers employed in high exposure jobs had an increased number of deaths from bladder cancer; however it is not clear whether these three cases can be attributed to fluorochemical exposure, an unknown bladder carcinogen encountered during the course of maintenance work, and/or nonoccupational exposures. With only three observed cases the possibility of a chance finding cannot be ruled out.

Perfluorooctane sulfonate influences feeding behavior and gut motility via the hypothalamus

“…An epidemiological study suggested these chemicals are associated with elevated carcinogenic risks (31). In addition to the common toxicological profile, we have demonstrated that these chemicals have a toxic effect on PVN.…”

Type 1 and Type 2 cytokines imbalance in adult male C57BL/6 mice following a 7-day oral exposure to perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS)

“…Occupational exposure studies have indicated an elevated cancer morbidity associated with PFOS exposure (Gilliland and Mandel, 1993;Alexander et al, 2003); however, there are still no reports showing a direct relationship between PFOS exposure and the development of cancers in humans. In contrast, a chronic mammalian toxicology study performed by the 3M Company (St. Paul, MN) indicated that PFOS exposures led to an increase in the presence of tumors of the liver, thyroid, and mammary glands (OECD, 2002).…”

Assessment of lipid, hepatic, and thyroid parameters with serum perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) concentrations in fluorochemical production workers

“…A weakly positive association between alkaline phosphatase, ALT and GGT with PFOA was observed among the Decatur male participants. Several epidemiologic research studies of the Decatur workforce have not reported associations with liver disease (malignant or non-malignant conditions) using a variety of data sources including death certificates (Alexander et al 2003), episodes of care ) and self-reports (Alexander and Grice 2006). Neither a worker population study (Kaplan 2004) nor a community-based PFOA-exposed population (Emmett et al 2006a, b) has reported associations between PFOA and hepatic clinical chemistries.…”