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Cancer experience among coke by-product workers.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|January 1, 1976
Summary
Coke oven workers face increased lung and kidney cancer risks. Non-oven workers also show elevated risks for digestive system cancers, including colon and pancreas, highlighting broader workplace hazards.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Epidemiology
- Environmental Health
Background:
- By-product coke plants pose occupational health risks.
- Previous studies indicated lung and kidney cancer risks for coke oven workers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate site-specific cancer mortality in by-product coke plant workers.
- To assess cancer risks in both oven and non-oven work areas.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of cancer mortality data from 1953-1966 for coke plant employees.
- Calculation of approximate relative risks adjusted for race, age, and follow-up time.
- Stratification of risk by work area within the coke plant.
Main Results:
- Excess risk of lung and kidney cancer observed in workers with >=5 years at coke ovens.
- Significantly elevated digestive system cancers (colon, pancreas) in non-oven workers.
- Increased buccal cavity and pharynx cancer rates noted in non-oven workers, though with small death counts.
Conclusions:
- Coke oven exposure is linked to increased lung and kidney cancer.
- Non-oven workers exhibit elevated risks for specific digestive and oropharyngeal cancers.
- Comprehensive cancer hazard evaluation must include all work areas in coke plants.