Cancer mortality among coke oven workers

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Epidemiology
• Environmental Science

Background:

• The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) established a standard for coke oven emissions in January 1977.
• This standard set a permissible exposure limit of 150 micrograms/m³ for the benzene-soluble fraction of total particulate matter (BSFTPM).
• Epidemiologic evidence has linked coke oven emissions to increased lung cancer risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review epidemiologic evidence concerning the OSHA standard for coke oven emissions.
• To assess the lung cancer risk associated with coke oven work under the established standard.
• To evaluate dose-response relationships between exposure duration/location and lung cancer mortality.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing epidemiologic studies on coke oven workers.
• Analysis of lung cancer mortality data in relation to employment duration and location.
• Application of linear and quadratic dose-response models to estimate excess relative risk.

Main Results:

• An excess relative risk for lung cancer, as high as 16-fold, was observed in topside coke oven workers with 15+ years of exposure.
• A consistent dose-response relationship between employment factors and lung cancer mortality was identified.
• Dose-response models predict a 30-50% increased relative risk under a linear model and 3-7% under a quadratic model, even with the OSHA standard.

Conclusions:

• While the OSHA standard may reduce risks, excess lung cancer risks likely persist for coke oven workers.
• Lung cancer mortality data from other steelworkers suggest potential overestimation of excess risk.
• Further dose-response analysis is limited by a lack of information on crucial confounding factors.