Objectives-The role of occupational exposures in hairy cell leukaemia
was investigated through a multicentre, hospital based, case-control s
tudy. This paper analyses the role of exposure to solvents other than
benzene in hairy cell leukaemia. Methods-The study included 226 male c
ases and 425 matched controls. exposure to solvents was evaluated by e
xpert case by case review of the detailed data on occupational exposur
es generated by specific interviews. Also, exposure to solvents was ev
aluated with an independantly constructed job exposure matrix (JEM). R
esults-No association was found between hairy cell leukaemia and previ
ous employment in a job exposed to solvents (odds ratio (OR) 0.9 95% c
onfidence interval (95% CI) 0.6 to 1.3). ORs for the main occupational
tasks exposed to solvents were around 1 and did not increase with the
frequency or the duration of the tasks. No specific type of paint or
glue was found to be significantly associated with hairy cell leukaemi
a. No association was found with exposure to solvents, taken as a whol
e, with either expert assessments or the JEM. No association was found
with aromatic, chlorinated, or oxygenated subgroups of solvents. The
ORs did not increase with the average intensity of exposure assessed b
y the experts, with the frequency of use, or with the duration of expo
sure. Finally, no association was found with non-occupational exposure
to solvents. Conclusions-The study did mot show any association betwe
en exposure to solvents and hairy cell leukaemia.