scholarly journals Are children more vulnerable to mesothelioma than adults? A comparison of mesothelioma risk among children and adults exposed non-occupationally to blue asbestos at Wittenoom

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (12) ◽  
pp. 898-903 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Reid ◽  
Peter Franklin ◽  
Geoffrey Berry ◽  
Susan Peters ◽  
Nita Sodhi-Berry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Proportional Hazards ◽  
Asbestos Exposure ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Cumulative Exposure ◽  
Survival Models ◽  
Response Relationship ◽  
Exposure Response ◽  
Long Latency

ObjectivesThe presence of asbestos in public buildings is a legacy of past asbestos use in many developed countries. Of particular concern is the amount and current condition in schools and the vulnerability of children to mesothelioma. Our aim was to compare the risk of mesothelioma between those exposed to blue asbestos as children and as adults at Wittenoom.MethodsPublic sources were used to establish the Wittenoom residents’ cohort. Mesothelioma incidence rates per 100 000 person-years at risk were derived for those first exposed to asbestos at Wittenoom as children (<15 years) or adults separately. Proportional hazards survival models examined the slope of the exposure-response relationship between asbestos exposure and incidence of mesothelioma in different sex and age groups.ResultsThe mesothelioma rate was lower among those first exposed as children (76.8 per 100 000) than those first exposed as adults (121.3 per 100 000). Adjusting for cumulative exposure to asbestos and sex, those exposed as adults had a greater risk of mesothelioma (adjusted HR 2.5, 95% CI 1.7 to 3.7). The slope of the exposure-response relationship did not differ between those exposed as children and those exposed as adults.ConclusionWe found no greater susceptibility to mesothelioma among those first exposed to asbestos as children than those first exposed as adults. However, given the long latency of mesothelioma, and the greater years of life yet to be lived by the Wittenoom children, it is likely that there will be more cases of mesothelioma in the future among those first exposed as children.

scholarly journals Migration and work in postwar Australia: mortality profile comparisons between Australian and Italian workers exposed to blue asbestos at Wittenoom

2017 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Reid ◽  
Enzo Merler ◽  
Susan Peters ◽  
Nimashi Jayasinghe ◽  
Vittoria Bressan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Proportional Hazards ◽  
Asbestos Exposure ◽  
Cancer Registries ◽  
Cox Proportional Hazards ◽  
Cumulative Exposure ◽  
Foreign Born ◽  
Male Population ◽  
Cox Proportional Hazards Models ◽  
National Mortality ◽  
Milling Operation

ObjectivesThree hundred and thirty thousand Italians arrived in Australia between 1945 and 1966, many on assisted passage schemes where the worker agreed to a 2-year unskilled employment contract. Italians were the largest of 52 migrant groups employed at the Wittenoom blue asbestos mining and milling operation. We compare mortality from asbestos-related diseases among Italian and Australian workers employed at Wittenoom.MethodsA cohort of 6500 male workers was established from employment records and followed up at state and national mortality and cancer registries. SMRs were calculated to compare mortality with the Western Australian male population. Time-varying Cox proportional hazards models compared the risk of mesothelioma between Australian and Italian workers.Results1031 Italians and 3465 Australians worked at Wittenoom between 1943 and 1966. Duration of employment was longer for the Italian workers, although the concentration of exposure was similar. The mesothelioma mortality rate per 100 000 was higher in Italians (184, 95% CI 148 to 229) than Australians (128, 95% CI 111 to 149). The risk of mesothelioma was greater than twofold (HR 2.27, 95% CI 1.43 to 3.60) in Italians at the lowest asbestos exposure category (<10 fibre years/per mL).ConclusionsA hierarchy in migration, isolation and a shortage of workers led to Italians at Wittenoom incurring higher cumulative exposure to blue asbestos and subsequently a greater rate of malignant mesothelioma than Australian workers.ImpactPoor working conditions and disparities between native and foreign-born workers has had a detrimental and differential impact on the long-term health of the workforce.

scholarly journals Exposure–Response Relationship and Doubling Risk Doses—A Systematic Review of Occupational Workload and Osteoarthritis of the Hip

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (19) ◽  
pp. 3681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Sun ◽  
Annette Nold ◽  
Ulrich Glitsch ◽  
Frank Bochmann
Keyword(s):  
Hip Osteoarthritis ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Cumulative Exposure ◽  
Quality Level ◽  
Response Relationship ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Osteoarthritis Of The Hip ◽  
Workplace Interventions ◽  
Exposure Response ◽  
Occupational Workload

In this review, we critically evaluated the evidence of exposure–response relationships between occupational workload and the risk of hip osteoarthritis. The existing evidence was evaluated in order for us to extrapolate possible doubling risk doses for hip osteoarthritis. Comprehensive searches for epidemiological studies of hip osteoarthritis and occupational workload were performed in literature databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Work and Google Scholar) and recent reviews up to February 2019. In total, 85 papers met the preliminary inclusion criteria, and 10 studies indicating an exposure-response relationship between occupational workload and hip osteoarthritis were identified. All studies were assessed on the basis of their study design, defined quality scores and relevant confounders considered. An exposure–response relationship between heavy lifting and the risk of hip osteoarthritis is consistently observed among the male populations but not among the female populations. We quantified the doubling risk doses in two studies in which both an exposure–response relationship and cumulative exposure doses were stated. These two studies provided the highest quality level of all studies published to date. The estimated doubling risk doses in these two studies lie between 14,761 and 18,550 tons (daily lifting 2.2–2.8 tons, 220 days/year for 30 years). These results can be used for workplace interventions to prevent hip osteoarthritis.

scholarly journals Factors Affecting Asbestosis Mortality Among Asbestos-Cement Workers in Italy

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (6) ◽  
pp. 622-635
Author(s):  
Paolo Girardi ◽  
Enzo Merler ◽  
Daniela Ferrante ◽  
Stefano Silvestri ◽  
Elisabetta Chellini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Asbestos Exposure ◽  
Cohort Effect ◽  
Age Effect ◽  
Cumulative Exposure ◽  
Calendar Period ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Long Latency ◽  
Asbestos Cement ◽  
Exposed Workers ◽  
Standardized Mortality Ratios

Abstract Objectives This study was performed with the aim of investigating the temporal patterns and determinants associated with mortality from asbestosis among 21 cohorts of Asbestos-Cement (AC) workers who were heavily exposed to asbestos fibres. Methods Mortality for asbestosis was analysed for a cohort of 13 076 Italian AC workers (18.1% women). Individual cumulative asbestos exposure index was calculated by factory and period of work weighting by the different composition of asbestos used (crocidolite, amosite, and chrysotile). Two different approaches to analysis, based on Standardized Mortality Ratios (SMRs) and Age-Period-Cohort (APC) models were applied. Results Among the considered AC facilities, asbestos exposure was extremely high until the end of the 1970s and, due to the long latency, a peak of asbestosis mortality was observed after the 1990s. Mortality for asbestosis reached extremely high SMR values [SMR: males 508, 95% confidence interval (CI): 446–563; females 1027, 95% CI: 771–1336]. SMR increased steeply with the increasing values of cumulative asbestos exposure and with Time Since the First Exposure. APC analysis reported a clear age effect with a mortality peak at 75–80 years; the mortality for asbestosis increased in the last three quintiles of the cumulative exposure; calendar period did not have a significant temporal component while the cohort effect disappeared if we included in the model the cumulative exposure to asbestos. Conclusions Among heaviest exposed workers, mortality risk for asbestosis began to increase before 50 years of age. Mortality for asbestosis was mainly determined by cumulative exposure to asbestos.

scholarly journals Validation of an Asbestos Job-Exposure Matrix (AsbJEM) in Australia: Exposure–Response Relationships for Malignant Mesothelioma

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (7) ◽  
pp. 719-728 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroyuki Kamiya ◽  
Susan Peters ◽  
Nita Sodhi-Berry ◽  
Alison Reid ◽  
Len Gordon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Malignant Mesothelioma ◽  
Proportional Hazards ◽  
Asbestos Exposure ◽  
Occupational Exposures ◽  
Peak Frequency ◽  
Cox Proportional Hazards ◽  
Surveillance Program ◽  
Average Intensity ◽  
Job Exposure Matrix ◽  
Exposure Response

Abstract Objectives An asbestos job-exposure matrix (AsbJEM) has been developed to systematically and cost-effectively evaluate occupational exposures in population-based studies. The primary aim of this study was to examine the accuracy of the AsbJEM in determining exposure–response relationships between asbestos exposure estimates and malignant mesothelioma (MM) incidence (indirect validation). The secondary aim was to investigate whether the assumptions used in the development of the original AsbJEM provided accurate asbestos exposure estimates. Methods The study population consisted of participants in an annual health surveillance program, who had at least 3-month occupational asbestos exposure. Calculated asbestos exposure indices included cumulative asbestos exposure and the average exposure intensity, estimated using the AsbJEM and duration of employment. Asbestos and MM exposure–response relationships were compared between the original AsbJEM and its variations based on manipulations of the intensity, duration and frequency of exposure. Twenty-four exposure estimates were calculated for both cumulative asbestos exposure and the average exposure intensity using three exposure intensities (50th, 75th and 90th percentile of the range of mode exposure), four peak durations (15, 30, 60 and 120 min) and two patterns of peak frequency (original and doubled). Cox proportional hazards models were used to describe the associations between MM incidence and each of the cumulative and average intensity estimates. Results Data were collected from 1602 male participants. Of these, 40 developed MM during the study period. There were significant associations between MM incidence and both cumulative and average exposure intensity for all estimates. The strongest association, based on the regression-coefficient from the models, was found for the 50th percentile of mode exposure, 15-min peak duration and the doubled frequency of peak exposure. Using these assumptions, the hazard ratios for mesothelioma were 1 (reference), 1.91, 3.24 and 5.37 for the quartiles of cumulative asbestos exposure and 1 (reference), 1.84, 2.31 and 4.40 for the quartiles of the average exposure intensity, respectively. Conclusion The well-known positive exposure–response relationship between MM incidence and both estimated cumulative asbestos exposure and average exposure intensity was confirmed. The strongest relationship was found when the frequency of peak exposure in the AsbJEM was doubled from the originally published estimates.

scholarly journals Occupational Exposure to Diesel Motor Exhaust and Lung Cancer: A Dose-Response Relationship Hidden by Asbestos Exposure Adjustment? The ICARE Study

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mireille Matrat ◽  
Florence Guida ◽  
Sylvie Cénée ◽  
Joelle Févotte ◽  
Matthieu Carton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lung Cancer ◽  
Occupational Exposure ◽  
Dose Response ◽  
Asbestos Exposure ◽  
Large Population ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Cumulative Exposure ◽  
Response Relationship ◽  
Dose Response Relationship ◽  
Motor Exhaust

Background. In a French large population-based case-control study we investigated the dose-response relationship between lung cancer and occupational exposure to diesel motor exhaust (DME), taking into account asbestos exposure.Methods. Exposure to DME was assessed by questionnaire. Asbestos was taken into account through a global indicator of exposure to occupational carcinogens or by a specific JEM.Results. We found a crude dose response relationship with most of the indicators of DME exposure, including with the cumulative exposure index. All results were affected by adjustment for asbestos exposure. The dose response relationships between DME and lung cancer were observed among subjects never exposed to asbestos.Conclusions. Exposure to DME and to asbestos is frequently found among the same subjects, which may explain why dose-response relationships in previous studies that adjusted for asbestos exposure were inconsistent.

Lung cancer risk at low cumulative asbestos exposure: meta-regression of the exposure–response relationship

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sjoukje van der Bij ◽  
Hendrik Koffijberg ◽  
Virissa Lenters ◽  
Lützen Portengen ◽  
Karel G. M. Moons ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lung Cancer ◽  
Cancer Risk ◽  
Lung Cancer Risk ◽  
Asbestos Exposure ◽  
Response Relationship ◽  
Exposure Response ◽  
Meta Regression

scholarly journals Trends in Incidence and Mortality of Primary Liver Cancer in Lithuania 1998–2015

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 1191
Author(s):  
Audrius Dulskas ◽  
Povilas Kavaliauskas ◽  
Kestutis Zagminas ◽  
Ligita Jancoriene ◽  
Giedre Smailyte
Keyword(s):  
Liver Cancer ◽  
Cancer Incidence ◽  
Ductal Carcinoma ◽  
Primary Liver Cancer ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Incidence And Mortality ◽  
Cancer Incidence Rates

Background: Recently, reports have suggested that rates of liver cancer have increased during the last decades in developed countries; increasing hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma rates were reported. The aim of this study was to examine time trends in incidence and mortality rates of liver cancer for the period of 1998–2015 in Lithuania by sex, age, and histology. Methods: We examined the incidence of liver cancer from 1998 to 2015 using data from the Lithuanian Cancer Registry. Age-standardized incidence rates were calculated by sex, age, and histology. Trends were analyzed using the Joinpoint Regression Program to estimate the annual percent change. Results: A total of 3086 primary liver cancer cases were diagnosed, and 2923 patients died from liver cancer. The total number of liver cancer cases changed from 132 in 1998 to 239 in 2015. Liver cancer incidence rates changed during the study period from 5.02/100,000 in 1998 to 10.54/100,000 in 2015 in men and from 2.43/100,000 in 1998 to 6.25/100,000 in 2015 in women. Annual percentage changes (APCs) in the age-standardized rates over this period were 4.5% for incidence and 3.6% for mortality. Hepatocellular cancer incidence rates were stable from 1998 to 2005 (APC −5.9, p = 0.1) and later increased by 6.7% per year (p < 0.001). Intrahepatic ductal carcinoma incidence increased by 8.9% per year throughout the study period. The rise in incidence was observed in all age groups; however, in age groups < 50 and between 70 and 79 years, observed changes were not statistically significant. For mortality, the significant point of trend change was detected in 2001, where after stable mortality, rates started to increase by 2.4% per year. Conclusions: Primary liver cancer incidence and mortality increased in both sexes in Lithuania. The rise om incidence was observed in both sexes and main histology groups. The increasing incidence trend may be related to the prevalence of main risk factors (alcohol consumption, hepatitis B and C infections. and diabetes).

Occupational and environmental health

2020 ◽  
pp. 1638-1652
Author(s):  
Raymond Agius ◽  
Debasish Sen
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Occupational Diseases ◽  
Asbestos Exposure ◽  
Occupational Exposures ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Response Strength ◽  
Exposure Response ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Strength Of Association

Occupational diseases are those for which work or, specifically, exposures in the workplace are necessary causes. The most prevalent occupational diseases in developed countries today are musculoskeletal and psychological disorders (usually stress-related conditions), but generally occupationally related malignancies (e.g. mesothelioma related to asbestos exposure) have the most serious outcomes. The proportion of all cancers attributable to occupational exposures is about 4%, with occupationally related cancers almost exclusively concentrated in manual workers aged 20 or over in sectors such as mining, agriculture, and industry. When presented with a patient whose illness might possibly have been caused or aggravated by work or by other environmental factors, the physician can usefully adopt an approach similar to that used for determining causation in epidemiological studies; the key issues being the temporality, reversibility, exposure-response, strength of association, and specificity of the illness with exposure to the factor in question.

scholarly journals Lung cancer risk at low asbestos exposure: meta-regression of the exposure-response relationship

2011 ◽  
Vol 68 (Suppl_1) ◽  
pp. A21-A21 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. van der Bij ◽  
H. Koffijberg ◽  
V. Lenters ◽  
L. Portengen ◽  
K. Moons ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lung Cancer ◽  
Cancer Risk ◽  
Lung Cancer Risk ◽  
Asbestos Exposure ◽  
Response Relationship ◽  
Exposure Response ◽  
Meta Regression

scholarly journals The Effect of an Alternative Definition of “Percent Highly Annoyed” on the Exposure–Response Relationship: Comparison of Noise Annoyance Responses Measured by ICBEN 5-Point Verbal and 11-Point Numerical Scales

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 6258
Author(s):  
Makoto Morinaga ◽  
Thu Lan Nguyen ◽  
Shigenori Yokoshima ◽  
Koji Shimoyama ◽  
Takashi Morihara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sound Pressure ◽  
Response Relationship ◽  
Alternative Definition ◽  
Exposure Response ◽  
Noise Annoyance ◽  
Numerical Scale ◽  
Verbal Scale ◽  
Sound Pressure Levels ◽  
Acoustic Surveys ◽  
Definition Of

Since the development of the 5-point verbal and 11-point numerical scales for measuring noise annoyance by the ICBEN Team 6, these scales have been widely used in socio-acoustic surveys worldwide, and annoyance responses have been easily compared internationally. However, both the top two categories of the 5–point verbal scale and the top three ones of the 11-point numerical scale are correspond to high annoyance, so it is difficult to precisely compare annoyance responses. Therefore, we calculated differences in day–evening–night-weighted sound pressure levels (Lden) by comparing values corresponding to 10% highly annoyed (HA) on Lden_%HA curves obtained from measurements in 40 datasets regarding surveys conducted in Japan and Vietnam. The results showed that the Lden value corresponding to 10% HA using the 5-point verbal scale was approximately 5 dB lower than that of the 11-point numerical scale. Thus, some correction is required to compare annoyance responses measured by the 5-point verbal and the 11-point numerical scales. The results of this study were also compared with those of a survey in Switzerland.

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