DIABETES-MELLITUS AMONG SWEDISH ART GLASS WORKERS - AN EFFECT OF ARSENIC EXPOSURE

Objectives The purpose of this study was to search for evidence of an association between occupational arsenic exposure and diabetes mellitu s, as implied by the relation of this disease to arsenic in drinking w ater in a recent study from Taiwan. Methods A case-referent analysis o n death records of 5498 individuals in the art glass producing part of southeastern Sweden was performed. Out of all the enrolled subjects, 888 were glass workers. According to occupational title, glassblowers, foundry workers, and unspecified workers were regarded as potentially exposed to arsenic. Persons with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus eit her as an underlying or contributing cause of death were considered ca ses. Referents were decedents without any indication of cancer, cardio vascular disease, or diabetes. Results A slightly elevated risk [Mante l-Haenszel odds ratio (MH-OR) 1.2, 95% confidence interval(95% CI) 0.8 2-1.8] was found for diabetes mellitus among the glassworks employers, especially in combination with cardiovascular disease (MH-OR 1.4, 95% CI 0.81-2.3). For the glassblowers, other foundry workers and unspeci fied glassworkers probably exposed to arsenic, the M-H odds ratio was 1.4 (95% CI 0.92-2.2). Unspecified glass workers, who probably include d persons with high exposure, carried the higher risk (MH-OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1-2.8). Conclusions The observations from this study provide limi ted support for the possibility that occupational arsenic exposure cou ld play a role in the development of diabetes mellitus. Many other met allic compounds are also used in art glass production, however, and th ere is a possibility of confounding.