title: The Relationship between the Occupational Exposure of Trichloroethylene and Kidney Cancer.
abstract: Trichloroethylene (TCE) has been widely used as a degreasing agent in many manufacturing industries. Recently, the International Agency for Research on Cancer presented "sufficient evidence" for the causal relationship between TCE and kidney cancer. The aim of this study was to review the epidemiologic evidences regarding the relationship between TCE exposure and kidney cancer in Korean work environments. The results from the cohort studies were inconsistent, but according to the meta-analysis and case-control studies, an increased risk for kidney cancer was present in the exposure group and the dose-response relationship could be identified using various measures of exposure. In Korea, TCE is a commonly used chemical for cleaning or degreasing processes by various manufacturers; average exposure levels of TCE vary widely. When occupational physicians evaluate work-relatedness kidney cancers, they must consider past exposure levels, which could be very high (>100 ppm in some cases) and associated with jobs, such as plating, cleaning, or degreasing. The exposure levels at a manual job could be higher than an automated job. The peak level of TCE could also be considered an important exposure-related variable due to the possibility of carcinogenesis associated with high TCE doses. This review could be a comprehensive reference for assessing work-related TCE exposure and kidney cancer in Korea.
authors: Department of occupational health, Yonsei University Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul, Korea ; Institutes for Occupational Health, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors: Inah
authors: I
authors: Kim
authors: Department of occupational health, Seoul National University Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul, Korea.
authors: Jaehyeok
authors: J
authors: Ha
authors: Department of occupational health, Yonsei University Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul, Korea ; Institutes for Occupational Health, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors: June-Hee
authors: JH
authors: Lee
authors: Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, Ulsan, Korea.
authors: Kye-Mook
authors: KM
authors: Yoo
authors: Department of occupational health, Yonsei University Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul, Korea ; Institutes for Occupational Health, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea ; Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors: Jaehoon
authors: J
authors: Rho
keywords: Exposure; Kidney cancer; Korea; Occupation; Trichloroethylene; Work-related