title: Mortality from obstructive lung diseases and exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons among asphalt workers.
abstract: Work in the asphalt industry has been associated with nonmalignant respiratory morbidity and mortality, but the evidence is not consistent. A historical cohort of asphalt workers included 58,862 men (911,209 person-years) first employed between 1913 and 1999 in companies applying and mixing asphalt in Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, and Norway. The relations between mortality from nonmalignant respiratory diseases (including the obstructive lung diseases: chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma) and specific chemical agents and mixtures were evaluated using a study-specific exposure matrix. Mortality from obstructive lung diseases was associated with the estimated cumulative and average exposures to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and coal tar (p values of the test for linear trend = 0.06 and 0.01, respectively). The positive association between bitumen fume exposure and mortality from obstructive lung diseases was weak and not statistically significant; confounding by simultaneous exposure to coal tar could not be excluded. The authors lacked data on smoking and full occupational histories. In conclusion, exposures to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, originating from coal tar and possibly from bitumen fume, may have contributed to mortality from obstructive lung diseases among asphalt workers, but confounding and bias cannot be ruled out as an explanation for the observed associations.
authors.affiliation: Division of Occupational and Environmental Health, Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands. iburstyn@ualberta.ca
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Burstyn
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Boffetta
authors.forename: Dick
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Heederik
authors.forename: Timo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Partanen
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kromhout
authors.forename: Ole
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Svane
authors.forename: Sverre
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Langård
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Frentzel-Beyme
authors.forename: Timo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kauppinen
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Stücker
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shaham
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ahrens
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cenée
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ferro
authors.forename: Pirjo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Heikkilä
authors.forename: Mariëtte
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hooiveld
authors.forename: Christoffer
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Johansen
authors.forename: Britt G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Randem
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Schill
mesh_terms: D015984:Causality; D003033:Coal Tar; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006838:Hydrocarbons; D019570:Inhalation Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000401:mortality*; D008297:Male; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000401:mortality*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013995:Time
chemical_list: D006838:Hydrocarbons; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D003033:Coal Tar; C006647:asphalt