The Mortality of Ontario Undertakers and a Review of Formaldehyde-Related Mortality Studies

Levine, Richard J.; Andjelkovich, Dragana A.; Shaw, Linda K.

doi:10.1097/00043764-198410000-00014

Cited by 92 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Risk did not vary for the embalmers by length of time since first exposure (47,48), but it did for the anatomists (49). Among the industrial workers, the CRR was 1.1 for lung cancer for the shorter latency group and 1.2 for the longer latenc y group .…”

Section: Summary Of Epidemiologic Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epidemiologic evidence on the relationship between formaldehyde exposure and cancer.

Blair¹,

Saracci²,

Stewart³

et al. 1990

Scand J Work Environ Health

128

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Section: Summary Of Epidemiologic Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epidemiologic evidence on the relationship between formaldehyde exposure and cancer.

Blair¹,

Saracci²,

Stewart³

et al. 1990

Scand J Work Environ Health

128

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“…Thus, in a case-referent study of lung cancer among Danish physicians, no association was observed between formaldehyde exposure and employment in pathology, forensic medicine, or anatomy (12). A standardized mortality ratio study of Ontario undertakers (15) provided no indications of elevated cancer mortality. In the case-referent study of lung cancer among formaldehyde-exposed employees of Du Pont chemical plants in the United States, no association with formaldehyde exposure was found (6).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The epidemiologic studies published on cancer risk among workers exposed to formaldehyde have been inconclusi ve so far (I, 2,4,6,8,9,10,II,12,15,16,18,19,21,22,23).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Formaldehyde exposure and respiratory and related cancers. A case-referent study among Finnish woodworkers.

Partanen¹,

Kauppinen²,

Nurminen³

et al. 1985

Scand J Work Environ Health

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exposure and respiratory and related cancers: A case-referent study among Finnish wood work ers. Scand J Work Environ Health II (1985) 409-415. A case-referent study was undertaken to investigate the associations between formaldehyde exposure and respiratory and related cancers. Fifty-seven such cancers from a retrospective cohort of male woodworkers form ed the case group. They were mat ched by year of birth with 171 referents . Exposure to formaldehyde was assessed with job-exposure matrices . The median of the time-weighted average concentration was about I ppm, and the mean duration of exposure was 10 years among the exposed. Odds ratios (dR) were calculated for formaldehyde exposure (1.44), peak exposure to form aldehyde (1.26), and exposure to formald ehyde-containing wood dust (1.22). None of the values exceeded unity with statistical significance. Allowance was also made for a 10-year period from the onset of exposure . Birth year, cigarette smok ing and exposure to wood dust, chlorophenols, pesticides, and terpene s were contr olled by stratification . The adju sted dRs did not change appreci ably. Th e highest dR was 1.95 for formaldehyde exposure without allowance for minimum latenc y, adjusted for exposure to terpenes. No expo sure-response relation was observed for the level, duration, or dose (ppm-years) of formald ehyde exposure. Th e result is nonpositive and may be explained by absence of effect, by too short a follow-up, or by insuffici ent power for detecting a mild excess risk.

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“…The tindings from several previous epidemiologic studies of workers exposed to formaldehyde have been reported [Acheson et al, 1984;Harrington and Shannon, 1975;Harrington and Oakes;1984, Levine et al, 1984Liebling et al, 1983;Marsh, 1982;Walrath and Fraumeni, 1983;Walrath and Fraumeni, 1984;Blair et al, 1986;and Stroup, 19841. None of these investigations has detected an excess of nasal cancer, although the statistical power of these studies to detect this rare form of cancer was extremely low.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 87%

A retrospective cohort mortality study of workers exposed to formaldehyde in the garment industry

Stayner

Elliott

Blade

et al. 1988

American J Industrial Med

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In order to assess the possible human carcinogenicity of formaldehyde we conducted a retrospective cohort mortality study of workers exposed for at least three months to formaldehyde in three garment facilities which produced permanent press garments. A total of 11,030 workers contributing 188,025 person-years were included in the study. Vital status was successfully ascertained through 1982 for over 96% of the cohort. The average (TWA) formaldehyde exposure at the three plants monitored in 1981 and 1984 by NIOSH was 0.15 ppm but past exposures may have been substantially higher. In general, mortality from nonmalignant causes was less than expected. A statistically significant excess in mortality from cancers of the buccal cavity (SMR = 343) and connective tissue (SMR = 364) was observed. Statistically nonsignificant excesses in mortality were observed for cancers of the trachea, bronchus and lung (SMR = 114), pharynx (SMR = 112), bladder (SMR = 145), leukemia and aleukemia (SMR = 113), and other lymphopoietic neoplasms (SMR = 170). Mortality from cancers of the trachea, bronchus and lung was inversely related to duration of exposure and latency. In contrast, mortality from cancers of the buccal cavity, leukemias, and other lymphopoietic neoplasms increased with duration of formaldehyde exposure and/or latency. These neoplasms also were found to be highest among workers first exposed during a time period of high potential formaldehyde exposures in this industry (1955-1962). However, it should be recognized that these findings are based on relatively small numbers and that confounding by other factors may still exist. The results from this investigation, although far from conclusive, do provide evidence of a possible relationship between formaldehyde exposure and the development of upper respiratory cancers (buccal), leukemias, and other lymphopoietic neoplasms in humans.

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The Mortality of Ontario Undertakers and a Review of Formaldehyde-Related Mortality Studies

Cited by 92 publications

References 14 publications

Epidemiologic evidence on the relationship between formaldehyde exposure and cancer.

Epidemiologic evidence on the relationship between formaldehyde exposure and cancer.

Formaldehyde exposure and respiratory and related cancers. A case-referent study among Finnish woodworkers.

A retrospective cohort mortality study of workers exposed to formaldehyde in the garment industry

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