Brief communication: Possible increased risk of lung cancer among beauticians

Death certificates of residents of Alameda County, California (1958-1962) with any mention of cancer were examined to determine the risk of cancer among beauticians. Twenty-four female beauticians were found among 3,460 adult females who died with cancer; four female beauticians were found in a sample of 1,000 females who died from causes other than cancer. The case and control certificates were matched for age and race. The resulting odds ratio (i.e., approximate relative risk of a cancer death) was slightly elevated (1.73) but was not statistically significant. Although a possible increase in the risk of cancer was found for several organ sites, the increase in risk for lung cancer was most striking. Analysis of pairs of death certificates, in which female controls dying of causes other than cancer were matched to female lung cancer cases for age, race, and date of death, yielded an odds ratio of 6.0. This finding suggested that the risk of lung cancer may be substantially increased among female beauticians.