Risk of Lung Cancer Associated With Occupational Exposure to Mineral Wools: Updating Knowledge From a French Population-Based Case–Control Study, the ICARE Study

• Published in: Journal of occupational and environmental medicine 2013-07, Vol.55 (7), p.786-795
• Main Authors: Guida, Florence, Paget-Bailly, Sophie, Lamkarkach, Farida, Gaye, Oumar, Ducamp, Stéphane, Menvielle, Gwenn, Papadopoulos, Alexandra, Matrat, Mireille, Févotte, Joëlle, Cénée, Sylvie, Cyr, Diane, Schmaus, Annie, Carton, Matthieu, Radoï, Loredana, Lapôtre-Ledoux, Bénédicte, Molinié, Florence, Luce, Danièle, Stücker, Isabelle
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Air Pollutants, Occupational - adverse effects; Asbestos - adverse effects; Biological and medical sciences; Calcium Compounds - adverse effects; Carcinogenesis, carcinogens and anticarcinogens; Case-Control Studies; Chemical agents; France; Human exposure; Humans; Logistic Models; Lung cancer; Lung Neoplasms - chemically induced; Lung Neoplasms - etiology; Male; Matrix; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Multiple tumors. Solid tumors. Tumors in childhood (general aspects); Occupational Diseases - chemically induced; Occupational Diseases - etiology; Occupational Exposure - adverse effects; Occupational Exposure - statistics & numerical data; Occupational health; Occupational medicine; Original Article; Pneumology; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Risk assessment; Risk Factors; Silicates - adverse effects; Silicon Dioxide - adverse effects; Smoking - adverse effects; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tumors; Tumors of the respiratory system and mediastinum; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1076-2752; 1536-5948
• DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0b013e318289ee8b

OBJECTIVES:To assess the risk of lung cancer associated with exposure to mineral wools (MWs), while taking into account smoking, asbestos, and crystalline silica exposures. METHODS:The analyses were restricted to men (1350 cases and 1912 controls). Lifelong occupational history was collected. MWs and asbestos exposures were assessed, using task-exposure matrices and silica exposure, a job-exposure matrix. RESULTS:We observed consistent not-significant increased risks of lung cancer of the same order of magnitude among workers exposed to high levels of MWs (odds ratio, 1.4; 95% confidence interval0.9 to 2.2; for highest quartile of the Cumulative Exposure Index). CONCLUSIONS:These results do not allow to draw firm conclusion about a carcinogenic effect of MWs on the lung, but they cannot exclude it. Given the high number of potentially exposed workers, it will be necessary to replicate them in a future further removed from the asbestos ban.