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. 2020 Feb;93(2):261-269.
doi: 10.1007/s00420-019-01479-4. Epub 2019 Oct 24.

Investigating the risk of breast cancer among women exposed to chemicals: a nested case-control study using improved exposure estimates

Cecilia Videnros  1 , Jenny Selander  2 , Pernilla Wiebert  2   3 , Maria Albin  2   3 , Nils Plato  2 , Signe Borgquist  4 , Jonas Manjer  4   5 , Per Gustavsson  2   3
Affiliations

Investigating the risk of breast cancer among women exposed to chemicals: a nested case-control study using improved exposure estimates

Cecilia Videnros et al. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2020 Feb.

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine if exposures to chemicals at the workplace were associated with an increased risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, using improved exposure estimates.

Methods: The design is a case-control study, nested within a cohort of women from the Malmö Diet and Cancer Study. The study comprised 2400 women, 731 cases and 1669 matched controls, born 1923-1950 and living in Malmö, Sweden between 1991 and 1996. An occupational hygienist reclassified the probability for exposure given by a job-exposure matrix, using individual data on work tasks. First-time diagnoses of invasive breast cancer were identified through the Swedish Cancer Registry.

Results: Women exposed to chemicals in their occupational environment had a statistically significantly increased risk (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.11-2.29) of breast cancer, and the risk correlated positively with duration of exposure but not with exposure intensity. Women exposed to chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents for more than 10 years had a significant higher risk of breast cancer (OR 3.06, 95% CI 1.18-7.96) as well as women exposed to oil mist for more than 10 years (OR 3.08, 95% CI 1.12-8.49).

Conclusions: This study gives some support to the hypothesis that exposure to organic solvents as well as oil mist is associated with increased risk of breast cancer.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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