Skip to main content
PMC home page
Occupational and Environmental Medicine logoLink to Occupational and Environmental Medicine
. 1995 Mar;52(3):145–149. doi: 10.1136/oem.52.3.145

Does occupational exposure to dust prevent colorectal cancer?

M M Finkelstein 1
PMCID: PMC1128176  PMID: 7735383

Abstract

OBJECTIVES--To explore the impression that occupational epidemiologists tend to focus on associations suggestive of increased risk and tend to ignore those associations in which risk is not increased. To examine the risk of colorectal cancer in cohorts exposed to dust, cohorts in which it has been suggested that occupational exposure is a cause of increased risk of stomach cancer. METHODS--A review of the publications in the English language on mortality among hard rock miners, granite, and quarry workers identified from a MEDLINE search and the index of the library of the Ontario Ministry of Labour. RESULTS--When all of the studies were combined, there were significant excesses of lung and stomach cancers, but a significant deficit of colorectal cancer (standardised mortality ratio (SMR) = 83.9; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 76-91). Overall mortality from gastrointestinal cancer was close to expectation (SMR = 105; 95% CI 99-111). Among those cohorts with increased risk of stomach cancer, rates of colorectal cancer were significantly decreased (SMR = 80; 95% CI 72-88). Among cohorts without increased risk of stomach cancer, the SMR for colorectal cancer was not significantly different from 100 (SMR = 98; 95% CI 81-115). CONCLUSIONS--This review supports the impression that occupational epidemiologists tend to focus on associations suggestive of increased risk and tend to ignore those associations in which risk is not increased. The explanation for the inverse association between risk of stomach and colorectal cancer is uncertain and deserves further study.

Full text

PDF
145

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Armstrong B. K., McNulty J. C., Levitt L. J., Williams K. A., Hobbs M. S. Mortality in gold and coal miners in Western Australia with special reference to lung cancer. Br J Ind Med. 1979 Aug;36(3):199–205. doi: 10.1136/oem.36.3.199. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Battista G., Belli S., Carboncini F., Comba P., Levante G., Sartorelli P., Strambi F., Valentini F., Axelson O. Mortality among pyrite miners with low-level exposure to radon daughters. Scand J Work Environ Health. 1988 Oct;14(5):280–285. doi: 10.5271/sjweh.1919. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bross I. D., Viadana E., Hooten L. Occupational cancer in men exposed to dust and other environmental hazards. Arch Environ Health. 1978 Nov-Dec;33(6):300–307. doi: 10.1080/00039896.1978.10667352. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Brownson R. C., Zahm S. H., Chang J. C., Blair A. Occupational risk of colon cancer. An analysis by anatomic subsite. Am J Epidemiol. 1989 Oct;130(4):675–687. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a115389. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Carta P., Cocco P., Picchiri G. Lung cancer mortality and airways obstruction among metal miners exposed to silica and low levels of radon daughters. Am J Ind Med. 1994 Apr;25(4):489–506. doi: 10.1002/ajim.4700250404. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Chen J., McLaughlin J. K., Zhang J. Y., Stone B. J., Luo J., Chen R. A., Dosemeci M., Rexing S. H., Wu Z., Hearl F. J. Mortality among dust-exposed Chinese mine and pottery workers. J Occup Med. 1992 Mar;34(3):311–316. doi: 10.1097/00043764-199203000-00017. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Chen R., Wei L., Huang H. Mortality from lung cancer among copper miners. Br J Ind Med. 1993 Jun;50(6):505–509. doi: 10.1136/oem.50.6.505. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Chen S. Y., Hayes R. B., Liang S. R., Li Q. G., Stewart P. A., Blair A. Mortality experience of haematite mine workers in China. Br J Ind Med. 1990 Mar;47(3):175–181. doi: 10.1136/oem.47.3.175. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Davis L. K., Wegman D. H., Monson R. R., Froines J. Mortality experience of Vermont granite workers. Am J Ind Med. 1983;4(6):705–723. doi: 10.1002/ajim.4700040604. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Fox A. J., Goldlbatt P., Kinlen L. J. A study of the mortality of Cornish tin miners. Br J Ind Med. 1981 Nov;38(4):378–380. doi: 10.1136/oem.38.4.378. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hodgson J. T., Jones R. D. Mortality of a cohort of tin miners 1941-86. Br J Ind Med. 1990 Oct;47(10):665–676. doi: 10.1136/oem.47.10.665. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kinlen L. J., Willows A. N. Decline in the lung cancer hazard: a prospective study of the mortality of iron ore miners in Cumbria. Br J Ind Med. 1988 Apr;45(4):219–224. doi: 10.1136/oem.45.4.219. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Lawler A. B., Mandel J. S., Schuman L. M., Lubin J. H. A retrospective cohort mortality study of iron ore (hematite) miners in Minnesota. J Occup Med. 1985 Jul;27(7):507–517. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Morrison H. I., Semenciw R. M., Mao Y., Wigle D. T. Cancer mortality among a group of fluorspar miners exposed to radon progeny. Am J Epidemiol. 1988 Dec;128(6):1266–1275. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a115080. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Potter J. D., Slattery M. L., Bostick R. M., Gapstur S. M. Colon cancer: a review of the epidemiology. Epidemiol Rev. 1993;15(2):499–545. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.epirev.a036132. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Samet J. M., Pathak D. R., Morgan M. V., Key C. R., Valdivia A. A., Lubin J. H. Lung cancer mortality and exposure to radon progeny in a cohort of New Mexico underground uranium miners. Health Phys. 1991 Dec;61(6):745–752. doi: 10.1097/00004032-199112000-00005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Sevc J., Tomasek L., Kunz E., Placek V., Chmelevsky D., Barclay D., Kellerer A. M. A survey of the Czechoslovak follow-up of lung cancer mortality in uranium miners. Health Phys. 1993 Apr;64(4):355–369. doi: 10.1097/00004032-199304000-00002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Simonato L., Moulin J. J., Javelaud B., Ferro G., Wild P., Winkelmann R., Saracci R. A retrospective mortality study of workers exposed to arsenic in a gold mine and refinery in France. Am J Ind Med. 1994 May;25(5):625–633. doi: 10.1002/ajim.4700250503. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Spiegelman D., Wegman D. H. Occupation-related risks for colorectal cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1985 Nov;75(5):813–821. doi: 10.1093/jnci/75.5.813. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Steenland K., Beaumont J. A proportionate mortality study of granite cutters. Am J Ind Med. 1986;9(2):189–201. doi: 10.1002/ajim.4700090210. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. The British Journal of Industrial Medicine: 50 years on. Br J Ind Med. 1993 Jan;50(1):1–4. doi: 10.1136/oem.50.1.1. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Wright W. E., Bernstein L., Peters J. M., Garabrant D. H., Mack T. M. Adenocarcinoma of the stomach and exposure to occupational dust. Am J Epidemiol. 1988 Jul;128(1):64–73. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a114959. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Wyndham C. H., Bezuidenhout B. N., Greenacre M. J., Sluis-Cremer G. K. Mortality of middle aged white South African gold miners. Br J Ind Med. 1986 Oct;43(10):677–684. doi: 10.1136/oem.43.10.677. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Occupational and Environmental Medicine are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES