title: Cancer incidence among male Norwegian asphalt workers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The main objective of the present study was to investigate whether exposure to bitumen fumes could enhance the risk of cancer in asphalt workers.
  
  
  METHODS
  A historical prospective cohort study was performed including 8,763 male asphalt workers from all main asphalt companies in Norway. Name, date of birth, and unique personal identification number, address, job type, and start and stop of employment in specific jobs was obtained for the workers. Information was complied from payroll and personnel records in the companies. The cohort was then linked to the Cancer Registry of Norway, which has complete records of individual cases of cancer in the Norwegian population since 1953. Follow-up was from 1 January 1970 to 31 December 1997. The 5-year age and period adjusted general male population in Norway served as reference population.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Lung cancer was found elevated with standardized incidence ratio (SIR) = 1.3 (95% confidence intervals (CI) = 1.1, 1.7) in the overall analysis. Lung cancer was found more elevated in workers first exposed in the 1950s and 1960s and in mastic asphalt workers (SIR = 4.2, 95% CI = 1.2, 10, based on four cases) and pavers (SIR = 1.4, 95% CI = 1.0, 1.9). There was a deficiency in the incidence of malignant melanoma with 13 cases versus 26 expected.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Risk of lung cancer was found enhanced among the asphalt workers. Some of the enhanced risk could probably be explained by the smoking habits of the workers. Exposure to coal tar may also have contributed to the enhanced risk.
authors.affiliation: Rikshospitalet University Hospital, Centre for Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Oslo, Norway. britt.randem@rikshospitalet.no
authors.forename: Britt Grethe
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Randem
authors.forename: Sverre
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Langård
authors.forename: Inge
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dale
authors.forename: Johny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kongerud
authors.forename: Jan Ivar
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Martinsen
authors.forename: Aage
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Andersen
mesh_terms: D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D006838:Hydrocarbons; D015994:Incidence; D019570:Inhalation Exposure; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000453:epidemiology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure
chemical_list: D006838:Hydrocarbons; C006647:asphalt