Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Sep;2(3):243-9.
doi: 10.5491/SHAW.2011.2.3.243. Epub 2011 Sep 30.

Cancer mortality and incidence in cement industry workers in Korea

Dong-Hee Koh  1 , Tae-Woo Kim, Seung Hee Jang, Hyang-Woo Ryu
Affiliations

Cancer mortality and incidence in cement industry workers in Korea

Dong-Hee Koh et al. Saf Health Work. 2011 Sep.

Abstract

Objectives: Cement contains hexavalent chromium, which is a human carcinogen. However, its effect on cancer seems inconclusive in epidemiologic studies. The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to elucidate the association between dust exposure in the cement industry and cancer occurrence.

Methods: The cohorts consisted of male workers in 6 Portland cement factories in Korea. Study subjects were classified into five groups by job: quarry, production, maintenance, laboratory, and office work. Cancer mortality and incidence in workers were observed from 1992 to 2007 and 1997-2005, respectively. Standardized mortality ratios and standardized incidence ratios were calculated according to the five job classifications.

Results: There was an increased standardized incidence ratio for stomach cancer of 1.56 (27/17.36, 95% confidence interval: 1.02-2.26) in production workers. The standardized mortality ratio for lung cancer increased in production workers. However, was not statistically significant.

Conclusion: Our result suggests a potential association between cement exposure and stomach cancer. Hexavalent chromium contained in cement might be a causative carcinogen.

Keywords: Cancer; Cement; Dust; Limestone; Stomach cancer.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Meo SA. Health hazards of cement dust. Saudi Med J. 2004;25:1153–1159. - PubMed
    1. Mwaiselage J, Bråtveit M, Moen B, Mashalla Y. Cement dust exposure and ventilatory function impairment: an exposure-response study. J Occup Environ Med. 2004;46:658–667. - PubMed
    1. Mwaiselage J, Bråtveit M, Moen BE, Mashalla Y. Respiratory symptoms and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among cement factory workers. Scand J Work Environ Health. 2005;31:316–323. - PubMed
    1. Vestbo J, Knudsen KM, Raffn E, Korsgaard B, Rasmussen FV. Exposure to cement dust at a Portland cement factory and the risk of cancer. Br J Ind Med. 1991;48:803–807. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Smailyte G, Kurtinaitis J, Andersen A. Mortality and cancer incidence among Lithuanian cement producing workers. Occup Environ Med. 2004;61:529–534. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources