Lung cancer among women residing close to an arsenic emitting copper smelter

Lung cancer deaths occurring between 1935 and 1969 among women residing near an arsenic emitting smelter were examined. For three geographically defined exposure groups, the observed and expected number of lung cancer deaths were compared. In none of the exposure groups did the observed number of deaths exceed the expected. However, an index of exposure based on distance of residence from the smelter and duration of residence in the area was 27% higher for cases than for age-matched controls (p = .10). Adjusting for a latency of 20 yr, case exposures were 23% higher than for controls (p = .07). Dividing individuals into quintiles of exposure yielded odds ratios ranging from 1 to 1.6 (test of trend, p = .07).