Possible causes of increased lung cancer incidence among butchers and slaughterhouse workers

An excess of lung cancer among butchers and slaughterhouse workers has been reported in several record-linkage studies. In this case-referent investigation on the possibility of occupational exposures being related to the lung cancer excess, cases and referents were selected from butchers and slaughterhouse workers registered in the Swedish national census of 1960. The case group comprised all men in the study population dying from lung cancer between 1971 and 1982. Two reference groups were formed, ie, all individuals dying from other cancers and a random sample of all dead men in the study population during the same time period. The history of occupations, occupational exposures, and smoking habits was obtained from the next-of-kin by questionnaire. None of the occupational exposures that were studied (work with live animal care, in the bleeding area, on the killing floor, or with meat cutting, processing, curing, smoking, chilling and packaging) were associated with an increased lung cancer rate. Tobacco smoking habits may have contributed to the overall excess of lung cancer found previously for this occupational group.