"In an effort to determine a connection between oxyacetylene welding and lung cancer, newly diagnosed cases with histologically or cytologically confirmed lung cancer were recruited from all hospitals in the city of Bremen and two hospitals in Frankfurt, Germany from August of 1988 to August of 1993. Some 839 men and 165 women were enrolled into this case control study. Only 18 of the cases never smoked, or were occasional smokers. The odds1ratio for cumulative exposure to tobacco smoke showed a steep gradient from 3.78 to 14.05 for heavy smokers. Smokers of pipe and cigars only showed a risk of 2.86. Lifelong exposure to asbestos (1332214) of more than 5,280 working hours showed an odds ratio of 1.68 that was reduced to 1.47 after adjusting for smoking. There were 47 cases and 19 controls which were classified into the occupational category of welders or burners. They yielded an OR of 2.65, reduced to 1.93 after adjusting for smoking and asbestos exposure. The median duration of working in this job category was 10 years for controls and 8 years for cases.The lifetime prevalence of welding in general as assessed by the corresponding job specific questionnaire was much higher, being 28% of all cases and 23% for the controls. Examining the connection with welding more deeply revealed that only exposure to oxyacetylene welding in the highest exposure category yielded a statistically significant odds ratio of 1.86, which was reduced after adjustment for confounding to a statistically insignificant OR of 1.46. Neither manual metal arc (MMA) nor spot welding or flame cutting elevated risks or identified consistent trends. Only for gas shielded welding was an OR of 3.60 in the highest exposure category seen after adjusting for smoking and asbestos. The authors conclude that oxyacetylene welding was associated with a moderately increased risk of developing lung cancer, even after adjusting for smoking and asbestos exposure. Whether the welding fumes or metal dusts were responsible was not indicated by the findings."

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