Risk of lung cancer associated with occupational exposure to mineral wools: updating knowledge from a French population-based case-control study, the ICARE Study

OBJECTIVES: To assess the risk of lung cancer associated with exposure to mineral wools (MWs), while taking into account smoking, asbestos, and crystalline silica exposures. METHODS: The analyses were restricted to men (1350 cases and 1912 controls). Lifelong occupational history was collected. MWs and asbestos exposures were assessed, using task-exposure matrices and silica exposure, a job-exposure matrix. RESULTS: We observed consistent not-significant increased risks of lung cancer of the same order of magnitude among workers exposed to high levels of MWs (odds ratio, 1.4; 95% confidence interval: 0.9 to 2.2; for highest quartile of the Cumulative Exposure Index). CONCLUSIONS: These results do not allow to draw firm conclusion about a carcinogenic effect of MWs on the lung, but they cannot exclude it. Given the high number of potentially exposed workers, it will be necessary to replicate them in a future further removed from the asbestos ban. (R.A.)

Author(s): Guida F, Paget Bailly S, Lamkarkach F, Gaye O, Ducamp S, Menvielle G, Papadopoulos A, Matrat M, Fevotte J, Cenee S, Cyr D, Schmaus A, Carton M, Radoi L, Lapotre Ledoux B, Molinie F, Luce D, Stucker I

Publishing year: 2013

Pages: 786-95

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