Cancer mortality among women in the Russian printing industry

Background This study evaluates cancer mortality among women employed in tw o large printing plants in Moscow Methods A total of 3,473 women who were,actively employed as of December 31 , 1978, with a minimum of 2 years employment were followed from 1 January 1 979 to 31 December 1993. There were 47,791 person-years observed, with only 51 women lost to follow-up (1.5%). Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) we re Calculated using the population of Moscow to generate expected numbers. Analyses by job (compositors, press operators, and bookbinders), age hired, latency, and duration of employment were conducted. Results Among,women employed in the two printing plants, there was a signif icant excess of esophageal cancer, based on seven deaths (expected = 2.7, S MR 2.7 95% CI = 1.1-5.4). Four of the seven esophageal cancer deaths occurr ed among bookbinders (expected = 1.0, SMR = 4.1, 95% CI = 1.1-10.4), all am ong workers hired before 1957 (expected = 0.6, SMR = 7.1, 95% CI = 1.9-18.3 ), the last year benzene was used in bookbinding. Ovarian cancer was also s ignificantly elevated among bookbinders (12 observed, 4.2 expected, SMR = 2 .9, 95% CI = 1.5-5.0), which, along with one death from mesothelioma of the abdomen, might be related to the use of asbestos-contaminated talc fillers in paper Press operators had significantly elevated mortality from stomach , cancer (observed = 9, expected = 4.1, SMR = 2.2 95% CI = 1.0-4.2) and, ba sed on two deaths each, melanoma and bladder cancer. Conclusions Women in this printing industry cohort experienced excess morta lity of cancer of the esophagus and stomach, with suggested increases of me lanoma and bladder cancer Further follow-up of this cohort, which would all ow more in-depth analysis of rare cancer sites, latency, and duration of em ployment, is warranted. Gender comparisons within the cohort should also be conducted to clarify the role of occupational and lifestyle factors in the etiology of cancer among workers in the printing industry. Am. J. Ind. Med . 36:166-171 1999. Published 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.dagger