Occupational Exposure to Solvents and Risk of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in Connecticut Women

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American Journal of Epidemiology Advance Access published online on December 4,

2008

American Journal of Epidemiology, doi:10.1093/aje/kwn300

Occupational Exposure to Solvents and Risk of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in

Connecticut Women

Rong Wang, Yawei Zhang, Qing Lan, Theodore R. Holford, Leaderer, Shelia

Hoar Zahm, Boyle, Mustafa Dosemeci, iel Rothman, Yong Zhu, Qin Qin

and Tongzhang Zheng

Correspondence to Dr. Tongzhang Zheng, Yale School of Public Health, 60 College

Street, LEPH 427, P.O. Box 208034, New Haven, CT 06520-8034 (e-mail:

tongzhang.zheng@... ).

Received for publication December 3, 2007. Accepted for publication August 26,

2008.

A population-based case-control study involving 601 incident cases of

non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and 717 controls was conducted in 1996-2000 among

Connecticut women to examine associations with exposure to organic solvents. A

job-exposure matrix was used to assess occupational exposures. Increased risk of

NHL was associated with occupational exposure to chlorinated solvents (odds

ratio (OR) = 1.4, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1, 1.8) and carbon

tetrachloride (OR = 2.3, 95% CI: 1.3, 4.0). Those ever exposed to any organic

solvent in work settings had a borderline increased risk of NHL (OR = 1.3, 95%

CI: 1.0, 1.6); moreover, a significantly increased risk was observed for those

with average probability of exposure to any organic solvent at medium-high level

(OR = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.1, 1.9). A borderline increased risk was also found for

ever exposure to formaldehyde (OR = 1.3, 95% CI: 1.0, 1.7) in work settings.

Risk of NHL increased with increasing average intensity (P = 0.01), average

probability (P < 0.01), cumulative intensity (P = 0.01), and cumulative

probability (P < 0.01) level of organic solvent and with average probability

level (P = 0.02) and cumulative intensity level of chlorinated solvent (P =

0.02). Analyses by NHL subtype showed a risk pattern for diffuse large B-cell

lymphoma similar to that for overall NHL, with stronger evidence of an

association with benzene exposure. Results suggest an increased risk of NHL

associated with occupational exposure to organic solvents for women.