Cancer incidence and mortality among beta-naphthylamine and benzidine dye workers in Moscow.
BACKGROUND
Cancer incidence and mortality were evaluated among 4581 aniline dye production workers in Moscow.


METHODS
A historical cohort was assembled and followed-up from 1 January 1975 to 31 December 1989. Moscow district oncologic dispensary registries furnished case ascertainment and employer records provided job exposure data. Expected cancers and deaths were calculated based on gender-, age-, and calendar time-specific incidence and mortality rates for the Moscow general population applied to the cohort's person-years of follow-up. Disease-specific standardized mortality and incidence values were derived from ratios of observed to expected cancers.


RESULTS
Men experienced elevated total cancer mortality (standardized mortality ratio [SMR] = 125; 95% CI: 110-142) and urinary bladder cancer mortality (SMR = 279; 95% CI: 192-391), and increased all malignancy (standardized incidence ratio [SIR] = 142; 95% CI: 125-160), oesophageal (SIR = 203; 95% CI: 108-347), respiratory tract (SIR = 154; 95% CI: 120-194) and bladder (SIR = 394; 95% CI: 268-559) cancer incidence. Women had elevated oesophageal (SMR = 313; 95% CI: 124-664) and bladder (SMR = 311; 95% CI: 149-571) cancer mortality and elevated all malignancy (SIR = 124; 95% CI: 106-144), oesophageal (SIR = 348; 95% CI: 140-719), and bladder (SIR = 861; 95% CI: 458-8002) cancer incidence. Bladder cancer rate increased with employment duration and younger age first hired. Rate estimates were highest among beta-naphthylamine exposed workers but was also increased among workers with other chemical exposures. A cancer prevention and control effort that limited benzidine exposure to < or = 3 years was apparently unsuccessful as indicated by a significant excess of bladder cancer (SIR = 1773; 95% CI: 356-5180) among these workers.


CONCLUSIONS
Relative rates of oesophageal, lung, and stomach cancer were also elevated among all workers, but did not increase with total years worked, age first hired, or year first hired, suggesting a non-occupational aetiology.
Bulbulyan
M A
MA
Department of Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention, N N Blokhin Cancer Research Centre, Moscow, Russia.
Figgs
L W
LW
Zahm
S H
SH
Savitskaya
T
T
Goldfarb
A
A
Astashevsky
S
S
Zaridze
D
D
D015081:2-Naphthylamine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001560:Benzidines / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009031:Moscow / Q000453:epidemiology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced
D001560:Benzidines; D004396:Coloring Agents; D015081:2-Naphthylamine