Occupation and lung cancer risk among New Jersey white males

Abstract

The association of occupation with lung cancer risk was examined in a case-control study conducted in six areas of New Jersey. The study included 763 white males with incident histologically confirmed primary cancer of the trachea, bronchus, and lung and 900 general population white male controls selected from driver's license and death certificate files. Altogether, 27 employment categories had a smoking-adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 1.3 or greater; five of these with significantly high OR contributed to an occupational population attributable risk of 13%. Masons and tilesetters; janitors and cleaners; printing workers; and trucking service, warehousing, and storage workers had significantly high risks overall and for longer durations of employment. Shipbuilding workers had significantly high risk overall and for short duration of employment. Although the excess risk for all shipbuilding workers was primarily among those with reported exposure to asbestos, the risk was also high among welders, burners, sheet metal workers, and boilermakers with no reported asbestos exposure.