Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Assessment of the Acute Inhalation Toxicity of Airborne Particles by Exposing Cultivated Human Lung Cells at the Air-Liquid Interface
Published on: February 23, 2020
Mortality study update of ethylene oxide workers in chemical manufacturing: a 15 year update
Gerard M H Swaen1, Carol Burns, Jane M Teta
1Department of Epidemiology, Health Services, The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Mich, USA. gswaen@dow.com
Objective:
To investigate the long-term mortality patterns of workers with past exposure to ethylene oxide (EO).
Methods:
We redefined and updated a cohort of male workers employed in industrial facilities where EO was produced or used. All 2063 men were employed between 1940 and the end of 1988 and were observed for mortality through 2003. Cause specific Standardized Mortality Ratios were calculated. Internal analyses were made by applying Cox proportional hazards models to the data.
Results:
No indications were found for excess cancer risks from EO exposures, including the lymphohematopoietic malignancies. There were 11 leukemia deaths and 11.8 expected and 12 non-Hodgkin lymphoma deaths and 11.5 expected. Proportional hazards modeling for all cause, leukemia and lymphoid malignancies mortality revealed no trends or associations with cumulative exposure.
Conclusion:
Despite the relatively high EO exposures in the past and extensive mortality follow-up, the cause specific mortality rates are comparable with those of the general US population. The Standardized Mortality Ratio analyses and the proportional hazards modeling for all cause mortality, leukemia and lymphoid malignancies mortality do not indicate exposure related effects in this cohort.
Related Concept Videos
Toxicity Testing in Animals
Effects of Chemicals: Overview
Types of Toxins
Air pollutants, primarily gases, pose significant threats to respiratory health, leading to conditions like hypoxia, lung cancer, and in extreme cases, death.
Environmental pollutants like...
Methods of Sterilization II: Chemical Methods
Using chemical sterilization rather than heat to clean out equipment is recommended. It eradicates and removes all bacteria,...
Toxic Reactions: Overview
Toxicity falls into two primary categories: local and systemic.
Local toxicity appears at the exposure site, such as protein denaturation caused by caustic substances.
In contrast, systemic toxicity requires the toxic agent's absorption and distribution,...

