A retrospective cohort study of leukemia and other cancers in benzene workers

Journal Article · Sat Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1989 · Environmental Health Perspectives; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.8982207· OSTI ID:7150274

Yin, S N; Li, G L; Tain, F D; Fu, Z I; Jin, C ^[1]; Chen, Y J ^[2]; Luo, S J ^[3]; Ye, P Z ^[4]; Zhang, J Z ^[5]; Wang, G C ^[6]; Zhang, X C ^[7]; Wu, H N ^[8]; Zhong, Q C ^[9]

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1. Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine, Beijing (China)
2. Station for Health and Prevention of Infection of Shanghai (China)
3. Station for Health and Prevention of Infection of Sichuan (China)
4. Station for Health and Prevention of Infection of Tianjin (China)
5. Station for Health and Prevention of Infection of Nanchang (China)
6. China Institute for Prevention and Treatment of Occupational Disease of Heilongjing (China)
7. China Institute for Prevention and Treatment of Occupational Disease of Shenyang (China)
8. China Institute for Prevention and Treatment of Occupational Disease of Helan (China)
9. China Institute for Prevention and Treatment of Occupational Disease of Guangzhou (China)

A retrospective cohort study was carried out in 1982-1983 among 28,460 benzene-exposed workers (15,643 males, 12,817 females) from 233 factories and 28,257 control workers (16,621 males, 12,366 females) from 83 factories in 12 large cities in China. All-cause mortality was significantly higher among the exposed than among the unexposed, as was mortality from all malignant neoplasms. For certain cancers, increased mortality was noted among benzene-exposed males in comparison with that among unexposed males; the standardized mortality ratios (SMR) were elevated for leukemia, lung cancer, primary hepatocarcinoma, and stomach cancer. For females only leukemia occurred in excess among the exposed. Risk of leukemia rose as duration to exposure to benzene increased up to 15 years, and then declined with additional years of exposure. Leukemia occurred among some workers with as little as 6 to 10 ppm average exposure and 50 ppm-years (or possibly less) cumulative lifetime exposure. During 1972 to 1981, the annual incidence of leukemia ranged from 5.83 to 28.33 per 100,000 with higher rates occurring in the interval 1977 to 1981 than in the earlier years of the study period. Future studies should evaluate more precisely the relationship between exposure levels, job title, and development of leukemia among cases and noncases within the exposed cohort.

• OSTI ID: 7150274
• Journal Information: Environmental Health Perspectives; (USA), Journal Name: Environmental Health Perspectives; (USA) Vol. 82; ISSN 0091-6765; ISSN EVHPA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560300* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AROMATICS
ASIA
BENZENE
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BODY
CARCINOMAS
CHINA
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
DISEASES
EPIDEMIOLOGY
FEMALES
GLANDS
HEMIC DISEASES
HYDROCARBONS
IMMUNE SYSTEM DISEASES
LEUKEMIA
LIVER
LUNGS
MALES
NEOPLASMS
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
PERSONNEL
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
SEX DEPENDENCE