UTILITY OF A SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM TO DETECT ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN WORK AND CANCER AMONG WOMEN IN CANADA, 1965-1991

Data on the occupation and industry in which 242,196 females worked in Canada between 1965 and 1971 are available from a national survey of employers by Statistics Canada. As an example of the future utility of this cohort, computerized record linkage was conducted with the Canad ian National Mortality Data Base through 1979. This article presents s elected results. Associations are measured by standardized relative ri sks. Those meeting specific criteria (two or more observed deaths, rel ative risk > 2.0, and 95% confidence interval excluding 1.00) include (a) buccal cavity and pharyngeal cancer among mechanics and repairers, tobacco preparers and product makers, and telephone systems industry workers; (b) lung cancer among service station attendants, motor vehic le mechanics, and petroleum refinery workers; and (c) breast cancer am ong workers manufacturing electrical industrial equipment and printing and publishing industry workers. The mortality experience of the coho rt through 1991 is currently being determined by another record linkag e, thus providing up to 25 years of follow-up and over 8,500 cancer de aths anticipated among females.