Cancer incidence among Danish workers exposed to trichloroethylene

Human evidence regarding the carcinogenicity of the animal carcinogen trich loroethylene (TCE) is limited. We evaluated cancer occurrence among 803 Dan ish workers exposed to TCE, using historical files of individual air and ur inary measurements of TCE-exposure. The standardized incidence ratio (SIR) for cancer overall was close to unity for both men and women who were expos ed to TCE. Men had significantly elevated SIRs for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma ( SIR = 3.5; n = 8) and cancer of the esophagus (SIR = 4.2; n = 6). Among wom en, the SIR for cervical cancer was significantly increased (SIR = 3.8; n = 4). No clear dose-response relationship appeared for any of these cancers. We found no increased risk for kidney cancer. In summary, we found no over all increase in cancer risk among TCE-exposed workers in Denmark. For those sites where excesses were noted, the small numbers of observed cases and t he lack of dose-related effects hinder etiological conclusions.