A METAANALYSIS OF PAINTING EXPOSURE AND CANCER MORTALITY

To assess risks of cancer mortality among workers exposed to paints, p ublished papers referring to painters and mortality with standardized mortality ratios (SMR) were meta-analyzed in fixed and random effect m odels. The SMR for all sites of cancer was significantly raised (111.4 ; 95% CI: 105.8-117.4). The highest risks of cancer death were from le ukemia (187; 95% CI: 114.5-306.7) and from liver cancer (143.6; 95% CI : 117.6-175.4). The SMRs for esophagus and stomach cancer were 132.7 ( 95% CI: 112.1-157.2) and 120.3 (95% CI: 111.3-130.0); respectively. Th e risks of bladder cancer (130.4; 95% CI: 113.8-149.5) and lung cancer (129.1; 95% CI: 119.2-139.8) were also raised. The findings provide e vidence of an association between work as a painter and risk of cancer , although the confounding effects of smoking and alcohol cannot be en tirely excluded, especially with respect to liver cancer since deaths from cirrhosis were also increased. The excess deaths from leukemia co uld have been from exposure to benzene mixed with other organic solven ts, while that from lung cancer may be from exposure to particles cont aining lead chromate and to asbestos in the paint trade. The high risk s of cirrhosis and liver cancer need to be examined further as to poss ible interactions between organic solvents and alcohol.