Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Cancer incidence among Swedish pulp and paper mill workers: a cohort study of sulphate and sulphite mills

Andersson, Eva ; Westberg, Hakan ; Bryngelsson, Ing-Liss ; Magnuson, Anders and Persson, Bodil LU (2013) In International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health 86(5). p.529-540
Abstract
Associations between various malignancies and work in the pulp and paper industry have been reported but mostly in analyses of mortality rather than incidence. We aimed to study cancer incidence by main mill pulping process, department and gender in a Swedish cohort of pulp and paper mill workers. The cohort (18,113 males and 2,292 females, enrolled from 1939 to 1999 with > 1 year of employment) was followed up for cancer incidence from 1958 to 2001. Information on the workers' department and employment was obtained from the mills' personnel files, and standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were calculated using the Swedish population as reference. Overall cancer incidence, in total 2,488 cases, was not increased by work in any... (More)
Associations between various malignancies and work in the pulp and paper industry have been reported but mostly in analyses of mortality rather than incidence. We aimed to study cancer incidence by main mill pulping process, department and gender in a Swedish cohort of pulp and paper mill workers. The cohort (18,113 males and 2,292 females, enrolled from 1939 to 1999 with > 1 year of employment) was followed up for cancer incidence from 1958 to 2001. Information on the workers' department and employment was obtained from the mills' personnel files, and standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were calculated using the Swedish population as reference. Overall cancer incidence, in total 2,488 cases, was not increased by work in any department. However, risks of pleural mesothelioma were increased among males employed in sulphate pulping (SIR, 8.38; 95 % CI, 3.37-17) and maintenance (SIR, 6.35; 95 % CI, 3.47-11), with no corresponding increase of lung cancer. Testicular cancer risks were increased among males employed in sulphate pulping (SIR, 4.14; 95 % CI, 1.99-7.61) and sulphite pulping (SIR, 2.59; 95 % CI, 0.95-5.64). Female paper production workers showed increased risk of skin tumours other than malignant melanoma (SIR, 2.92; 95 % CI, 1.18-6.02). Incidence of pleural mesothelioma was increased in the cohort, showing that asbestos exposure still has severe health consequences, and highlighting the exigency of strict asbestos regulations and elimination. Testicular cancer was increased among pulping department workers. Shift work and endocrine disruptors could be of interest in this context. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Pleural mesothelioma, Skin tumours, Sulphate pulping, Sulphite pulping, Testicular cancer
in
International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health
volume
86
issue
5
pages
529 - 540
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • wos:000320394300004
  • scopus:84879069834
  • pmid:22644408
ISSN
1432-1246
DOI
10.1007/s00420-012-0785-1
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
17d6cb90-41c3-4fc5-8c1a-b0a8dda16a61 (old id 3979670)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 14:46:45
date last changed
2022-03-29 22:47:08
@article{17d6cb90-41c3-4fc5-8c1a-b0a8dda16a61,
  abstract     = {{Associations between various malignancies and work in the pulp and paper industry have been reported but mostly in analyses of mortality rather than incidence. We aimed to study cancer incidence by main mill pulping process, department and gender in a Swedish cohort of pulp and paper mill workers. The cohort (18,113 males and 2,292 females, enrolled from 1939 to 1999 with > 1 year of employment) was followed up for cancer incidence from 1958 to 2001. Information on the workers' department and employment was obtained from the mills' personnel files, and standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were calculated using the Swedish population as reference. Overall cancer incidence, in total 2,488 cases, was not increased by work in any department. However, risks of pleural mesothelioma were increased among males employed in sulphate pulping (SIR, 8.38; 95 % CI, 3.37-17) and maintenance (SIR, 6.35; 95 % CI, 3.47-11), with no corresponding increase of lung cancer. Testicular cancer risks were increased among males employed in sulphate pulping (SIR, 4.14; 95 % CI, 1.99-7.61) and sulphite pulping (SIR, 2.59; 95 % CI, 0.95-5.64). Female paper production workers showed increased risk of skin tumours other than malignant melanoma (SIR, 2.92; 95 % CI, 1.18-6.02). Incidence of pleural mesothelioma was increased in the cohort, showing that asbestos exposure still has severe health consequences, and highlighting the exigency of strict asbestos regulations and elimination. Testicular cancer was increased among pulping department workers. Shift work and endocrine disruptors could be of interest in this context.}},
  author       = {{Andersson, Eva and Westberg, Hakan and Bryngelsson, Ing-Liss and Magnuson, Anders and Persson, Bodil}},
  issn         = {{1432-1246}},
  keywords     = {{Pleural mesothelioma; Skin tumours; Sulphate pulping; Sulphite pulping; Testicular cancer}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{5}},
  pages        = {{529--540}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health}},
  title        = {{Cancer incidence among Swedish pulp and paper mill workers: a cohort study of sulphate and sulphite mills}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00420-012-0785-1}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s00420-012-0785-1}},
  volume       = {{86}},
  year         = {{2013}},
}