Historical Study of Workers Exposed to Styrene in the US Reinforced Plastics and Composite Industry: Findings From a 2019 Mortality Update.

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate if workers exposed to styrene in reinforced plastics and composite facilities between 1948 and 1977 experienced elevated cancer mortality or mortality risk. We performed a mortality update of a 15,826-worker cohort followed from 1948 through 2019. We computed standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) comparing observed deaths to expected deaths based on US national- and state-level age-, race-, sex-, and time-specific mortality rates, and evaluated exposure-response trends. Respiratory system cancer (SMR = 1.30; 95% CI = 1.22-1.39) and lung cancer (SMR = 1.31; 95% CI = 1.22-1.40) mortality was elevated in national-level comparisons. Bladder cancer (SMR = 1.44; 95% CI = 1.11-1.83) and diabetes mellitus (SMR = 1.45; 95% CI = 1.27-1.64) mortality was elevated in state-level comparisons. Internal comparisons did not suggest any exposure-response trends. We identified no consistent evidence that occupational styrene exposure is associated with elevated cancer mortality risk in this cohort.