[A quantitative assessment of health risk induced by occupational exposure to inorganic arsenic]

Abstract

The risk of neoplastic disease, primarily lung cancer, induced by occupational, inhalation exposure to nonorganic arsenic was assessed. In order to identify individual risk in the linear dose-response relationship which would serve as a basis for the risk assessment among persons exposed occupationally, the author also analysed the latest epidemiological studies performed in Sweden, as well as repeated analyses of American studies. This allowed to diminish individual risk by several times. It is thought that a diminished value of individual risk is, in the light of the most up-to-date epidemiological studies, closer to the reality than the value proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Having the value of individual risk related to occupational exposure, equal 1.79 x 10(-4), lung cancer risk after forty years of employment under the exposure level within the range of currently binding MAC values for arsenic (0.05 mg/m3) accounts for 8.95 x 10(-3), thus slightly exceeding the adopted value of 1 x 10(3). Whereas a new value, proposed by the Expert Group for Chemical Factors of the International Commission for Updating the list of MAC and MAI values in 1996, equals 0.01, so the risk for a forty-year employment accounts for 1.79 x 10(-3), in fact the value corresponding to that already approved. In addition, the assessment indicated that smoking increases by 4-6 times the risk of lung cancer induced by exposure to arsenic.