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. 1996 Dec;104(Suppl 6):1393–1398. doi: 10.1289/ehp.961041393

Does benzene cause multiple myeloma? An analysis of the published case-control literature.

S Bezabeh 1, A Engel 1, C B Morris 1, S H Lamm 1
PMCID: PMC1469740  PMID: 9118925

Abstract

Two case series and two epidemiological studies in the 1970s and 1980s suggested that benzene exposure might be a risk factor for multiple myeloma. An analysis has now been conducted of the published population-based and hospital-based case-control studies published through mid-1995 that permit examination of the relationship between multiple myeloma and benzene exposure or surrogates for benzene exposure. No increased association was found between multiple myeloma and benzene exposure or exposure to chemical groups that included benzene. The odds ratios from these analyses approximated 1.0. Exposures to petroleum products and employment in petroleum-related occupations did not appear to be risk factors for multiple myeloma. Cigarette smoking, as a surrogate of benzene exposure, was not found to be associated with myeloma, while some studies of products of combustion described as "engine exhaust" did show a significant association with multiple myeloma. In toto, the population-based and hospital-based case-control literature indicated that benzene exposure was not a likely causal factor for multiple myeloma.

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Selected References

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

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