Lung cancer mortality and occupational exposure to asbestos among telephone linemen: a historical cohort study in France.
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.
Meguellati-Hakkas
Djamila
D
INSERM U754, IFR69, 16 avenue Paul Vaillant-Couturier, 94807 Villejuif Cedex, France.
Cyr
Diane
D
Stücker
Isabelle
I
Févotte
Joëlle
J
Pilorget
Corinne
C
Luce
Danièle
D
Guénel
Pascal
P
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
D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D001194:Asbestos