Cancer mortality and morbidity among rubber workers

Area of Science:

• Occupational Epidemiology
• Environmental Health
• Oncology

Background:

• Cancer mortality and morbidity are significant public health concerns.
• Occupational exposures in the rubber industry have been historically linked to adverse health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate cancer occurrence in a cohort of white male rubber workers.
• To compare cancer rates with the general U.S. white male population.
• To identify specific work areas within the plant associated with increased cancer risk.

Main Methods:

• Cohort study of 13,570 male rubber workers with at least 5 years of employment at a B. F. Goodrich plant in Akron, Ohio.
• Follow-up period from January 1, 1940, to June 30, 1976.
• Cancer occurrence assessed via death certificates and hospital tumor registries (1964-1974), with analyses including external (vs. U.S. rates) and internal (work area) comparisons.

Main Results:

• Elevated cancer risks observed in specific work areas, including stomach/intestine (rubber making), lung (tire curing, fuel cells/deicers), bladder (chemical plant, tire building), skin (tire assembly), brain (tire assembly), lymphatic (tire building), and leukemia (calendering, tire curing, tire building, elevators, tubes, rubber fabrics).
• Observed/expected ratios highlighted significant excesses for several cancer types in various departments.

Conclusions:

• The study identified specific job roles within the rubber manufacturing process associated with increased risk for various cancers.
• Further investigation into specific chemical agents and workplace exposures is warranted to understand the etiology of these observed excesses.