OCCUPATIONAL RISK-FACTORS FOR PROSTATE-CANCER - RESULTS FROM A CASE-CONTROL STUDY IN MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA

A population-based case-control study of cancer and occupation was car ried out in Montreal, Canada. Between 1979 and 1986, 449 pathologicall y confirmed cases of prostate cancer were interviewed, as well as 1,55 0 cancer controls and 533 population controls. Job histories were eval uated by a team of chemist/hygienists using a checklist of 294 workpla ce chemicals. After preliminary evaluation, 17 occupations, 11 industr ies, and 27 substances were selected for multivariate logistic regress ion analyses to estimate the odds ratio between each occupational circ umstance and prostate cancer with control for potential confounders. T here was moderate support for risk due to the following occupations: e lectrical power workers, water transport workers, aircraft fabricators , metal product fabricators, structural metal erectors, and railway tr ansport workers. The following substances exhibited moderately strong associations: metallic dust, liquid fuel combustion products, lubricat ing oils and greases, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons from coal. While t he population attributable risk, estimated at between 12% and 21% for these occupational exposures, may be an overestimate due to our method of analysis, even if the true attributable fraction were in the range of 5-10%, this represents an important public health issue. Am J Epid emiol 1996;143:363-73.