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Cancer in persons working in dry cleaning in the Nordic countries

Lynge, E ; Andersen, A ; Rylander, Lars LU orcid ; Tinnerberg, Håkan LU ; Lindbohm, ML ; Pukkala, E ; Romundstad, P ; Jensen, P ; Clausen, LB and Johansen, K (2006) In Environmental Health Perspectives 114(2). p.213-219
Abstract
U.S. studies have reported an increased risk of esophageal and some other cancers in dry cleaners exposed to tetrachloroethylene. We investigated whether the U.S. findings could be reproduced in the Nordic countries using a series of case-control studies nested in cohorts of laundry and dry-cleaning workers identified from the 1970 censuses in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Dry-cleaning work in the Nordic countries during the period when tetrachloroethylene was the dominant solvent was not associated with an increased risk of esophageal cancer [rate ratio (RR) = 0.76; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.34-1.69], but our study was hampered by some unclassifiable cases. The risks of cancer of the gastric cardia, liver, pancreas, and... (More)
U.S. studies have reported an increased risk of esophageal and some other cancers in dry cleaners exposed to tetrachloroethylene. We investigated whether the U.S. findings could be reproduced in the Nordic countries using a series of case-control studies nested in cohorts of laundry and dry-cleaning workers identified from the 1970 censuses in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Dry-cleaning work in the Nordic countries during the period when tetrachloroethylene was the dominant solvent was not associated with an increased risk of esophageal cancer [rate ratio (RR) = 0.76; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.34-1.69], but our study was hampered by some unclassifiable cases. The risks of cancer of the gastric cardia, liver, pancreas, and kidney and non-Hodgkin lymphoma were not significantly increased. Assistants in dry-cleaning shops had a borderline significant excess risk of cervical cancer not found in women directly involved in dry cleaning. We found an excess risk of bladder cancer (RR = 1.44; 95% CI, 1.07-1.93) not associated with length of employment. The finding of no excess risk of esophageal cancer in Nordic dry cleaners differs from U.S. findings. Chance, differences in level of exposure to tetrachloroethylene, and confounding may explain the findings. The overall evidence on bladder. cancer in dry cleaners is equivocal. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
tetrachloroethylene, exposure, occupational, dry cleaning, cancer incidence, case-control study
in
Environmental Health Perspectives
volume
114
issue
2
pages
213 - 219
publisher
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
external identifiers
  • wos:000235226300040
  • pmid:16451857
  • scopus:32044468547
ISSN
1552-9924
DOI
10.1289/ehp.8425
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
32844ef4-dd8c-4b9d-8f6b-b83c41259d48 (old id 417887)
alternative location
http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2005/8425/abstract.html
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 16:49:07
date last changed
2022-01-28 22:23:09
@article{32844ef4-dd8c-4b9d-8f6b-b83c41259d48,
  abstract     = {{U.S. studies have reported an increased risk of esophageal and some other cancers in dry cleaners exposed to tetrachloroethylene. We investigated whether the U.S. findings could be reproduced in the Nordic countries using a series of case-control studies nested in cohorts of laundry and dry-cleaning workers identified from the 1970 censuses in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Dry-cleaning work in the Nordic countries during the period when tetrachloroethylene was the dominant solvent was not associated with an increased risk of esophageal cancer [rate ratio (RR) = 0.76; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.34-1.69], but our study was hampered by some unclassifiable cases. The risks of cancer of the gastric cardia, liver, pancreas, and kidney and non-Hodgkin lymphoma were not significantly increased. Assistants in dry-cleaning shops had a borderline significant excess risk of cervical cancer not found in women directly involved in dry cleaning. We found an excess risk of bladder cancer (RR = 1.44; 95% CI, 1.07-1.93) not associated with length of employment. The finding of no excess risk of esophageal cancer in Nordic dry cleaners differs from U.S. findings. Chance, differences in level of exposure to tetrachloroethylene, and confounding may explain the findings. The overall evidence on bladder. cancer in dry cleaners is equivocal.}},
  author       = {{Lynge, E and Andersen, A and Rylander, Lars and Tinnerberg, Håkan and Lindbohm, ML and Pukkala, E and Romundstad, P and Jensen, P and Clausen, LB and Johansen, K}},
  issn         = {{1552-9924}},
  keywords     = {{tetrachloroethylene; exposure; occupational; dry cleaning; cancer incidence; case-control study}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{213--219}},
  publisher    = {{National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences}},
  series       = {{Environmental Health Perspectives}},
  title        = {{Cancer in persons working in dry cleaning in the Nordic countries}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.8425}},
  doi          = {{10.1289/ehp.8425}},
  volume       = {{114}},
  year         = {{2006}},
}