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. 2016 Jul 6;125(1):56–65. doi: 10.1289/EHP155

Table 5.

Association between colorectal cancer and shower/bath trihalomethane (THM) levels. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) among 1,702 cases and 3,269 controls.

Exposure All (n = 4,971) Men (n = 2,793) Women (n = 2,176)a
Cases Controls ORb (95% CI) Cases Controls ORb (95% CI) Cases Controls ORb (95% CI)
Total THMs (μg/L × min/day)
< 60.7 550 701 1 363 444 1 185 257 1
60.7–158.7 382 867 0.72 (0.58, 0.89) 244 420 0.76 (0.58, 0.99) 138 447 0.67 (0.47, 0.97)
158.7–336.7 329 920 0.60 (0.48, 0.76) 203 416 0.68 (0.50, 0.92) 126 504 0.54 (0.37, 0.80)
> 336.7 441 781 0.81 (0.63, 1.06) 279 424 0.92 (0.65, 1.29) 162 357 0.71 (0.46, 1.09)
p-Trendc 0.121 0.426 0.141
Chloroform (μg/L × min/day)
< 26.1 550 701 1 361 435 1 188 266 1
26.7–72.5 444 804 0.85 (0.70, 1.03) 284 405 0.90 (0.70, 1.16) 159 399 0.82 (0.59, 1.13)
72.5–143.5 373 861 0.65 (0.53, 0.81) 237 445 0.68 (0.51, 0.89) 136 416 0.68 (0.48, 0.97)
> 143.5 335 903 0.66 (0.52, 0.83) 207 419 0.73 (0.54, 0.99) 128 484 0.60 (0.41, 0.88)
p-Trendc < 0.001 0.016 0.007
Brominated THMs (μg/L × min/day)
< 16.5 539 712 1 345 455 1 192 257 1
16.5–51.0 339 911 0.66 (0.53, 0.83) 217 431 0.76 (0.57, 1.01) 122 480 0.52 (0.36, 0.74)
51.0–178.0 345 904 0.61 (0.47, 0.80) 220 401 0.78 (0.56, 1.09) 125 503 0.43 (0.28, 0.65)
> 178 479 742 0.90 (0.65, 1.25) 307 417 1.25 (0.83, 1.89) 172 325 0.55 (0.32, 0.95)
p-Trendc 0.267 0.627 0.010
aTwo female cases were excluded from the sex-stratified model because one category in education did not have observations among controls and was dropped from the model. bAdjusted for sex, age, geographical area, education, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug consumption, smoking, physical activity, and family history of colorectal cancer. The analysis excluded subjects with poor or questionable interviews and with known THM levels for < 70% of the exposure window (from age 18 to 2 years before the interview). cLinear trend p-value, derived from a likelihood-ratio test comparing a model with the categorical nitrate variable as an ordinal variable (0, 1, 2) with a model that excluded the variable.