A retrospective cohort study among iron-steel workers in Anshan, China: exposure assessment.
Although adequate assessment of exposure is needed in epidemiological studies among foundry workers, previous studies are often lacking in this aspect. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of a Chinese iron and steel company with a 14-yr follow up during 1980-1993. Exposure assessment was performed for a single job, i.e., the current job for the active worker and the longest job for the retired or deceased worker as of the end of the follow-up, which was allocated as the surrogate of lifetime job and was applied to a job-exposure matrix. Of the 147,062 cohort members, 52,394 males (43%) and 5,291 females (21%) were exposed to any of 15 hazardous factors such as dust, silica, PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), CO (carbon monoxide) and heat. In 2,104 randomly selected samples, the exposure assessment of exposed workers based on a single job was found to be 12-14% lower than the real situation. This study suggests that the exposure assessment is valuable in evaluating the health effects among the foundry workers, despite some limitations such as underestimation of exposure assessment and the lack of data regarding smoking and drinking habits.
Hoshuyama
Tsutomu
T
Department of Environmental Epidemiology, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu 807-8555, Japan.
Pan
Guowei
G
Tanaka
Chieko
C
Feng
Yiping
Y
Yu
Lianzheng
L
Liu
Tiefu
T
Liu
Liming
L
Hanaoka
Tomoyuki
T
Takahashi
Ken
K
D002681:China; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron; D008297:Male; D008669:Metallurgy; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013232:Steel
D013232:Steel; D007501:Iron