A follow-up study of mortality among women in the North American synthetic rubber industry.

Abstract

To evaluate mortality from cancer and other diseases among 4863 women employed at eight North American styrene-butadiene rubber plants. Cancers of the lymphohematopoietic tissues, breast, and ovary were of strongest a priori interest. Cause-specific standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated. The observed number of deaths was approximately equal to that expected for leukemia (10 observed/13 expected), Hodgkin lymphoma (1/1.6), multiple myeloma (7/7.9), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (15/14), and cancers of the breast (72/74) and ovary (21/22). Ever-hourly women had more than expected deaths from lung (47/30, SMR = 159, CI = 117 to 211) and bladder (6/1.8, SMR = 332, CI = 122 to 723) cancers. Exposure-response analysis, done only for lung cancer, indicated no trend for butadiene or styrene. The observed excesses of lung and bladder cancers may be attributable to nonoccupational factors rather than to workplace exposures.