Short-term mortality and cancer incidence in capacitor manufacturing workers exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
A cohort study of 142 male Swedish capacitor manufacturing workers was performed. PCB had been used as a dielectricum in power capacitors between 1960 and 1978. Mortality was investigated for the period 1965 to 1982 and cancer incidence from 1965 to 1980. Twenty-one deaths and seven cancers were observed, which was in agreement with the anticipated numbers calculated from national statistics. One person had developed two rare tumors, a slow growing mesenchymal tumor (desmoid) and a malignant lymphoma. The results cannot rule out the possibility of a carcinogenic risk from PCB exposure because of the small size of the cohort and relatively brief follow-up period, but they do not indicate any excess mortality or cancer incidence in this factory so far.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013548:Sweden
D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls