The National Bladder Cancer Study: Employment in the Chemical Industry 1,2

ABSTRACT-The relationship between bladder cancer and em-ployment in the chemical industry was assessed in a study of 2,982 incident cases and 5,782 population controls. There were 190 cases and 369 controls who had ever been employed in the chemical industry [odds ratio (OR)=1.0; 95 % confidence interval (CI)=0.8, 1.2]. Employment in the production of organic chemicals was associated with a 1.3-fold increased risk among men (95 % CI =0.8, 2.1). Risk increased with duration of employment, reaching an OR of 2.4 for 20 or more years (chi for trend=1.57; P=.06). Women who had worked in the plastics industry had a 3.3-fold increased bladder cancer risk. Within the plastics and rubber industry, increased risks for bladder cancer were found for men in mixing, filtering, grinding, and other dusty operations (OR=4.6; 95% CI=1.0, 20.4) and men in heat-associated operations (OR=2.8; 95 % CI=0.5, 15.3). A 1.4-fold risk among men in agricultural chemicals was attributable to risks in the pesticides subdivision (OR=2.3; 95 % CI=0.6, 8.2). Men performing dusty operations (Le., mixing, filtering, sifting, grinding, and crushing) in any industr