Documents Kogevinas, Manolis 11 results

"People are exposed throughout life to a wide range of environmental and occupational pollutants from different sources at home, in the workplace or in the general environment - exposures that normally cannot be directly controlled by the individual. Several chemicals, metals, dusts, fibres, and occupations have been established to be causally associated with an increased risk of specific cancers, such as cancers of the lung, skin and urinary bladder, and mesothelioma. Significant amounts of air pollutants - mainly from road transport and industry - continue to be emitted in the European Union (EU); an increased occurrence of lung cancer has been attributed to air pollution even in areas below the EU limits for daily air pollution. Additionally, a wide range of pesticides as well as industrial and household chemicals may lead to widespread human exposure, mainly through food and water. For most environmental pollutants, the most effective measures are regulations and community actions aimed at reducing and eliminating the exposures. Thus, it is imperative to raise awareness about environmental and occupational carcinogens in order to motivate individuals to be proactive in advocating protection and supporting initiatives aimed at reducing pollution. Regulations are not homogeneous across EU countries, and protective measures in the workplace are not used consistently by all workers all the time; compliance with regulations needs to be continuously monitored and enforced. Therefore, the recommendation on Environment and Occupation of the 4th edition of the European Code against Cancer, focusing on what individuals can do to reduce their cancer risk, reads: "In the workplace, protect yourself against cancer-causing substances by following health and safety instructions.""

"Several studies have demonstrated an excess risk for asthma among cleaning workers. The aim of this analysis was to compare clinical, immunological and functional characteristics associated with asthma in cleaners and other occupational groups. Cleaners, workers exposed to high molecular weight (MW) agents, workers exposed to low MW agents, and office workers were identified from an international community-based epidemiological study. Influence of sex, smoking, age and atopy on the relationships with asthma was investigated. Rates of respiratory symptoms, bronchial hyperresponsiveness, atopic sensitisation and lung function were compared between asthmatics from the four groups (case-case analysis). The risk for asthma in workers exposed to low MW agents was higher among nonatopics than among atopics. Case-case analysis showed no major differences in asthma characteristics between cleaners and workers exposed to high or low MW agents. Asthmatic cleaners had less atopy, more chronic bronchitis and a lower lung function as compared to office workers. Asthma in cleaning workers showed many similarities with that in workers known to be at risk for occupational asthma. Atopic sensitisation did not seem to play an important role in cleaning-related asthma."

Background Workers of iron and steel foundries have a high lung cancer risk but the findings on specific processes associated with this risk are inconsistent. We examined the risk of lung cancer among workers in the main industrial processes of a large iron and steel foundry in Asturias, Spain. Methods We conducted a nested case-control study comprised of 144 male lung cancer cases and 558 controls, selected from a study base of about 24,400 workers employed in the industry between 1952 and 1995. Cases were identified through linkage of industry records with those of two cancer registries. Controls were selected through industry records using incidence density sampling, were matched to cases by age and date of birth and had to be alive and without lung cancer at the time of selection. Smoking history was obtained through company medical records. Unconditional logistic regression was applied and all ORs were adjusted for age and tobacco consumption. Results Workers were, on an average, heavy smokers and a very strong relation was observed for smoking (OR for ever smoker = 32.4). Workers having ever been employed in the blast furnace had an excess lung cancer risk (OR = 2.55, 95% CI 1.25-5.21) compared to a reference group of workers not employed in metal producing departments. A similar excess was observed for workers having as their longest held job employment in the blast furnace. A two-fold risk was also observed for workers in the main foundry. For subgroups of workers, tobacco smoking appeared to be an important positive or negative confounder. Conclusions In this large Spanish foundry, a high risk was observed for workers employed in departments with high exposure to crystalline silica, PAHs, and various other carcinogenic chemicals. Although comparisons were made between workers of the same industry, smoking habits differed and adjustment by smoking modified considerably the risk estimates.

"There is clear evidence from industrialized and less-developed societies that cancer incidence and survival are related to socioeconomic factors. This fascinating volume, the first to examine the magnitude of these socioeconomic differences in relation to cancer, provides vital information for all those interested in public health. Nineteen chapters are presented in four sections: General considerations; Evidence of social inequalities in cancer; Explanations for social inequalities in cancer; and Socioeconomic differences in health care. "

"Objective
To investigate the carcinogenicity of styrene by reanalysing data from a previous international cohort study of workers in the reinforced plastics industry.
Methods
Mortality from cancers of prior interest was analysed with more detailed consideration of exposure–response relations and an updated classification of leukaemias and lymphomas in data from a previous international cohort study of 37 021 reinforced plastics workers exposed to airborne styrene.
Results
Increased mortality from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) was associated with the mean level of exposure to styrene in air (relative risk (RR) 2.31, 95% CI 1.29 to 4.12 per 100 ppm), but not with cumulative styrene exposure. Similar associations with mean exposure were observed for the oesophagus (RR 2.44, 95% CI 1.11 to 5.36 per 100 ppm) and pancreas (RR 1.89, 95% CI 1.17 to 3.09). Oesophageal cancer mortality was also associated with cumulative styrene exposure lagged 20 years (RR 1.16, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.31). No other cancer, including lung cancer, was associated with any indicator of styrene exposure.
Conclusion
This reanalysis does not substantially change the conclusions of the original study with respect to NHL or lung cancer but new evidence concerning cancers of the oesophagus and pancreas merits further investigation."