An updated meta-analysis of formaldehyde exposure and upper respiratory tract cancers.
In this study, we summarize 47 epidemiologic studies related to formaldehyde exposure and use meta-analytic techniques to assess findings for cancers of the lung, nose/nasal sinuses, and nasopharynx. Our analyses indicate that workers with formaldehyde exposure have essentially null findings for lung cancer and a slight deficit of sinonasal cancer. Nasopharyngeal cancer rates were elevated moderately in a minority of studies. Most studies, however, did not find any nasopharyngeal cancers, and many failed to report their findings. After correcting for underreporting, we found a meta relative risk of 1.0 for cohort studies. Case-control studies had a meta relative risk of 1.3. Our review of the exposure literature indicated that the nasopharyngeal cancer case-control studies represented much lower and less certain exposures than the cohort studies. We conclude that the available studies do not support a causal relation between formaldehyde exposure and nasopharyngeal cancer. This conclusion conflicts with conclusions from two previous meta-analyses, primarily because of our consideration of unreported data.
Collins
J J
JJ
Monsanto Company, St. Louis, Mo. 63167, USA.
Acquavella
J F
JF
Esmen
N A
NA
D002274:Carcinogens, Environmental / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005557:Formaldehyde / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology; D012142:Respiratory Tract Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology
D002274:Carcinogens, Environmental; D005557:Formaldehyde