Motor vehicle manufacturing and prostate cancer.
BACKGROUND
The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the relation between employment in motor vehicle manufacturing (MVM) and fatal prostate cancer.


METHODS
The study included 322 prostate cancer deaths occurring in 1973 through 1987 and 1,285 controls, selected from a cohort of 126,100 male MVM workers.


RESULTS
Men employed in casting operations had an odds ratio of 1.5 (95% CI = 1. 1-2.0). The association was consistent across casting facilities and was attributable primarily to work in core and mold making (OR = 1.5, 95% CI = 1.1-2.2) and metal melting and pouring jobs (OR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.0-3.6). Other results included ORs of 1.9 (95% CI = 1.0-3.7) for warehousing and distribution operations and 2.1 (95% CI = 1.2-3. 7) for electric and electronic equipment manufacturing. The latter two associations exhibited little internal consistency.


CONCLUSIONS
The relationships seen in this study were weak and may have been due to chance. Core and mold making and metal melting and pouring foundry operations entail potential exposure to metal dusts and fumes, to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and to other chemicals. However, associations between these exposures and prostate cancer have not been reported consistently, nor have other studies of foundry workers consistently noted an excess of prostate cancer.
Brown
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DA
Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama 35294-0022, USA. dab@uab.edu
Delzell
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D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007221:Industry / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018986:Motor Vehicles; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology