On-the-job paint exposure ups cancer risk: study

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On-the-job paint exposure ups cancer risk: study

NEW YORK, Mar 13 (Reuters Health) - Men and women in the painting trades or

who work in paint manufacturing may have an increased risk of cancer,

depending on the job they do, according to the results of a large study

conducted in Sweden.

The findings are published in the March issue of the Journal of Occupational

and Environmental Medicine.

In 1989, a working group from the International Agency for Research on

Cancer concluded that painters face an increased risk of cancer, but that

there was not enough evidence to determine whether working in paint

manufacture also increased cancer risk.

To investigate, Dr. Brown of the National Cancer Institute in

Bethesda, land, and her team used census and cancer registry data

covering nearly the entire Swedish working population to assess cancer risk

in tens of thousands of men and women employed in painting trades, and paint

and varnish manufacturing.

" Most painters in Sweden worked in the building construction industry and

were exposed to high levels of organic solvents, paint dust containing a

variety of pigments, including lead and zinc chromate, and a variety of

other inorganic dusts, " Brown and colleagues note.

The researchers found that male painters and metal lacquerers had a small

but significantly increased risk of lung cancer, while male artists were at

higher risk of bladder cancer. And men who worked in paint or varnish plants

faced a higher risk of pancreatic and lung cancer, as well as

non-lymphocytic leukemia.

Women who worked with lacquer had an increased risk of esophagus, larynx and

oral cavity cancers, while female glazers had an increased risk of

developing oral cancers, the report indicates.

The investigators found higher rates of cancer among the women in their

study than the men. " The reasons for the gender differences in risk are

unclear, but exposure to solvents may be higher in women because of their

greater fat depots available for storage or to variations in the ability to

detoxify environmental carcinogens, " the authors write.

Brown's team notes that their study had several limitations, including the

fact that they were not able to control for study participants' cigarette

smoking or alcohol use. Also, their information on people's job histories

was incomplete and study participants lacked specific knowledge about the

chemicals they were exposed to on the job, they point out.

" Our results are consistent with the report of the International Agency for

Research on Cancer that classified painting as an occupationally related

cause of cancer, and they provide additional evidence that the risk of

certain cancers is increased by exposures in the paint manufacturing

process, " Brown and colleagues conclude.

SOURCE: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2002;44:258-264.

Copyright © 2002 Reuters Limited