Increased Standardised Incidence Ratio of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma in Taiwanese Asbestos Workers: A 29-Year Retrospective Cohort Study.
OBJECTIVE
This paper aimed to determine the standardised incidence ratio (SIR) of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) in workers exposed to asbestos in Taiwan.


METHODS
All workers employed in asbestos-related factories and registered by the Bureau of Labour Insurance between 1 March, 1950, and 31 December, 1989, were included in the study and were followed from 1 January, 1980, through 31 December, 2009. Incident cases of all cancers, including MPM (ICD-9 code: 163), were obtained from the Taiwan Cancer Registry. SIRs were calculated based on comparison with the incidence rate of the general population of Taiwan and adjusted for age, calendar period, sex, and duration of employment.


RESULTS
The highest SIR of MPM was found for male workers first employed before 1979, with a time since first employment more than 30 years (SIR 4.52, 95% CI: 2.25-8.09). After consideration of duration of employment, the SIR for male MPM was 5.78 (95% CI: 1.19-16.89) for the workers employed for more than 20 years in asbestos-related factories.


CONCLUSIONS
This study corroborates the association between occupational asbestos exposure and MPM. The highest risk of MPM was found among male asbestos workers employed before 1979 and working for more than 20 years in asbestos-related factories.
Department of Public Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan.
Cheng-Kuan
CK
Lin
Division of Environmental Health and Occupational Medicine, National Health Research Institutes, 35 Keyan Road, Zhunan, Miaoli County 35053, Taiwan.
Yu-Ying
YY
Chang
Department of Public Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan ; Departments of Internal Medicine, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan 70403, Taiwan.
Jung-Der
JD
Wang
Division of Environmental Health and Occupational Medicine, National Health Research Institutes, 35 Keyan Road, Zhunan, Miaoli County 35053, Taiwan ; Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 10002, Taiwan ; Institute of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10020, Taiwan.
Lukas Jyuhn-Hsiarn
LJ
Lee
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001194:Asbestos / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008654:Mesothelioma / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000086002:Mesothelioma, Malignant; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010997:Pleural Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013624:Taiwan
D001194:Asbestos