T. Kraus et al., THE ASSOCIATION OF OCCUPATIONAL ASBESTOS DUST EXPOSURE AND LARYNGEAL CARCINOMA, Israel journal of medical sciences, 31(9), 1995, pp. 540-548
Controversy exists as to whether occupational asbestos dust exposure i
s responsible, or at least partially responsible, for the development
of laryngeal carcinoma. The aim of this study is to present the curren
t scientific knowledge on this subject based on a comprehensive litera
ture research and to critically review the epidemiological investigati
ons published. The results of 31 cohort studies and 24 case-control st
udies, and the conclusions in 11 more recent reviews are contradictory
. In most studies there was no statistically significant indication of
a causal relationship. It is noteworthy that an increased risk of lar
yngeal carcinoma among persons exposed to asbestos dust was observed m
ostly in older studies in which smoking habits and/or alcohol consumpt
ion as the most important nonoccupational risk factors were usually no
t taken into account. in addition, since most of the calculated positi
ve associations are very weak, no reliable conclusion can be reached.
While there may be a causal relationship between occupational exposure
to asbestos dust and the occurrence of laryngeal carcinoma, this cann
ot be regarded as certain on the basis of the evidence reviewed.