title: Occupational exposure to solvents and risk of breast cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Occupational exposure to some organic solvents may increase risk of breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a population-based case-control study, 1,205 women diagnosed with primary breast cancer between 2009 and 2011 were drawn from the Western Australian Cancer Registry and matched to 1,789 controls from the electoral roll. Exposure to solvents was determined through telephone interviews using OccIDEAS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  About a third of women were occupationally exposed to solvents. Age adjusted breast cancer risks were elevated for women who had been exposed to aliphatic solvents odds ratio (OR) 1.21 (95%CI 0.99-1.48) and aromatic solvents OR 1.21 (95%CI 0.97-1.52). For most solvents the ORs were higher for those diagnosed before menopause.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that there may be an association between occupational exposure to aliphatic and aromatic solvents and the risk of breast cancer at the low levels of exposure experienced by women in this study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Deborah C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Glass
authors.affiliation: School of Population Health, The University of Western Australia (M431), Crawley, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heyworth
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Curtin University, Bentley, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Allyson K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Thomson
authors.affiliation: School of Population Health, The University of Western Australia (M431), Crawley, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.affiliation: School of Surgery, The University of Western Australia (M507), Crawley, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Christobel
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Saunders
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Curtin University, Bentley, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fritschi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012042:Registries; D012997:Solvents / Q000633:toxicity*; D014904:Western Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D012997:Solvents
keywords: OccIDEAS; breast cancer; case-control study; occupational exposure; organic solvent