title: Lung cancer mortality and occupational exposure to asbestos among telephone linemen: a historical cohort study in France.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The authors studied the mortality by lung cancer in telephone linemen exposed to asbestos at low levels during installation of telephone cables.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three hundred eight lung cancers deaths were identified in the cohort. Exposure to asbestos and to other occupational carcinogens was assessed using a job-exposure matrix.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The relative risk for lung cancer death associated with an estimated exposure of approximately 2 f/cc-years was 2.1 (95% confidence interval = 1.1-4.0) as compared with workers exposed to less than 0.5 f/cc-years. Mean annual exposure or exposure duration were not clearly related to lung cancer. Adjustment for other occupational lung carcinogens did not change this finding.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The observed mortality by lung cancer associated with asbestos exposure at low levels is higher than the prediction based on linear downward extrapolations from highly exposed occupational cohorts.
authors.affiliation: INSERM U754, IFR69, 16 avenue Paul Vaillant-Couturier, 94807 Villejuif Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Djamila
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Meguellati-Hakkas
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cyr
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Stücker
authors.forename: Joëlle
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Févotte
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pilorget
authors.forename: Danièle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Luce
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Guénel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001194:Asbestos / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004559:Electric Wiring; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000401:mortality*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012306:Risk; D013689:Telephone; D014896:Welding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D001194:Asbestos