title: Development of an exposure measurement database on five lung carcinogens (ExpoSYN) for quantitative retrospective occupational exposure assessment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  SYNERGY is a large pooled analysis of case-control studies on the joint effects of occupational carcinogens and smoking in the development of lung cancer. A quantitative job-exposure matrix (JEM) will be developed to assign exposures to five major lung carcinogens [asbestos, chromium, nickel, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and respirable crystalline silica (RCS)]. We assembled an exposure database, called ExpoSYN, to enable such a quantitative exposure assessment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Existing exposure databases were identified and European and Canadian research institutes were approached to identify pertinent exposure measurement data. Results of individual air measurements were entered anonymized according to a standardized protocol.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The ExpoSYN database currently includes 356 551 measurements from 19 countries. In total, 140 666 personal and 215 885 stationary data points were available. Measurements were distributed over the five agents as follows: RCS (42%), asbestos (20%), chromium (16%), nickel (15%), and PAH (7%). The measurement data cover the time period from 1951 to present. However, only a small portion of measurements (1.4%) were performed prior to 1975. The major contributing countries for personal measurements were Germany (32%), UK (22%), France (14%), and Norway and Canada (both 11%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ExpoSYN is a unique occupational exposure database with measurements from 18 European countries and Canada covering a time period of >50 years. This database will be used to develop a country-, job-, and time period-specific quantitative JEM. This JEM will enable data-driven quantitative exposure assessment in a multinational pooled analysis of community-based lung cancer case-control studies.
authors: Environmental Epidemiology Division, Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, the Netherlands. s.peters@uu.nl
authors: Susan
authors: S
authors: Peters
authors: Roel
authors: R
authors: Vermeulen
authors: Ann
authors: A
authors: Olsson
authors: Rainer
authors: R
authors: Van Gelder
authors: Benjamin
authors: B
authors: Kendzia
authors: Raymond
authors: R
authors: Vincent
authors: Barbara
authors: B
authors: Savary
authors: Nick
authors: N
authors: Williams
authors: Torill
authors: T
authors: Woldbæk
authors: Jérôme
authors: J
authors: Lavoué
authors: Domenico
authors: D
authors: Cavallo
authors: Andrea
authors: A
authors: Cattaneo
authors: Dario
authors: D
authors: Mirabelli
authors: Nils
authors: N
authors: Plato
authors: Dirk
authors: D
authors: Dahmann
authors: Joelle
authors: J
authors: Fevotte
authors: Beate
authors: B
authors: Pesch
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Brüning
authors: Kurt
authors: K
authors: Straif
authors: Hans
authors: H
authors: Kromhout
mesh_terms: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000032:analysis*; D001194:Asbestos / Q000032:analysis; D002170:Canada; D002273:Carcinogens / Q000032:analysis*; D002857:Chromium / Q000032:analysis; D016208:Databases, Factual; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D005060:Europe; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D009532:Nickel / Q000032:analysis; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis; D011791:Quartz / Q000032:analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D002273:Carcinogens; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D002857:Chromium; D001194:Asbestos; D011791:Quartz; D009532:Nickel