[Exposure to chloroprene as an occupational hazard (a cohort epidemiologic study)]

A cancer epidemiological study was conducted in chloroprene workers in Yerevan. In a cohort of male workers, the total morbidity rates for all tumor patterns were significantly lower (32%) than expected, which was attributed to the effect of "the healthy worker". Risk for hepatic tumor was 3.83 times the expected level among male operators of the chloroprene production equipment. A direct "dose-effective" correlation was established between liver cancer risk and length of record for occupational exposure to chloroprene. The highest risk was among males who came into contact with the substance under the age of 30.