The mortality experience of 371 employees assigned to acrylamide monomer and polymerisation operations was examined with particular emphasis on cancers at sites identified from animal studies such as the central nervous system, thyroid gland, other endocrine glands, and mesotheliomas. A total of 29 deaths was observed up until 1982 (38-0 expected). No statistically significant excesses were noted in the total cohort and no deaths were found for the hypothesised sites of cancer. The observed deaths in the total cohort for the all cancers category were somewhat in excess (11 v 7-9); however, this was due entirely to excess cancers of the digestive tract and respiratory system in the subgroup with previous exposure to organic dyes. Among those employees not exposed to organic dyes, four deaths were due to malignancies versus 6-5 expected. This study does not support a cause effect relation between exposure to acrylamide at this work site and overall mortality, total malignant neoplasms, or any specific cancers.Acrylamide is a white crystalline solid which is important as a chemical intermediate and as a monomer used in the production of polyacrylamides. The effects of exposure to acrylamide have been reported to include peeling and redness of the skin of the hands, localised numbness of the legs, excessive sweating of the feet and hands, and both central and peripheral nervous system damage.' Epidemiological studies of employees exposed to acrylamide have not been published to date.The chronic effects of acrylamide in rats have been investigated in a two year toxicity-oncogenicity study.2 Fischer 344 rats were divided into groups of 90 rats by sex and dose level and given water formulated to provide 0. 0-01, 0 1, 0 5, and 2-0 mg/kg/day of acrylamide. Histopathological examination indicated that in the female rats at the highest dose level there was a statistically significant increase in the number of neoplasms of the mammary gland, nervous system, clitoral gland, uterus, oral cavity, and thyroid gland. Data from male rats indicated an increased incidence of mesothelioma in the scrotal cavity at dosages of 0-5 and 2-0 mg/kg/day. The incidence of benign tumours of the thyroid gland was also statistically increased at doses of 2-0 mg/kg/day. Although not statistically significant, there appeared to be an increased incidence of tumours in the brain and spinal cord at the highest level in the male rats.2

ABSTRACr Available medical and morbidity surveillance findings from 1976 to 1978 for two employee cohorts potentially exposed to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) were compared with those of matched unexposed employees. The medical surveillance findings were derived from a screening programme offered to all active employees and included an analysis of various medical history questions and blood chemistry results. Group medical insurance claims served as the source of morbidity surveillance data and the period prevalence of selected diseases was analysed. Few significant differences between the exposed and unexposed were detected. Among the cohort of employees potentially exposed during the manufacture of 2,4,5trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5,-T), a significantly greater frequency ofx-ray proved ulcer was reported and significantly more members of this group had diseases of the digestive system diagnosed. Such findings were absent in the more highly TCDD-exposed cohort engaged in 2,4,5-trichlorophenol production, making it unlikely that dioxin was a cause.

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The prevalence of selected illnesses and symptoms during 1977-85 was compared between 175 employees potentially exposed to the organophosphate insecticide chlorpyrifos and 335 matched controls with no history of exposure to organophosphates. Subjects were subdivided into three exposure intensity groups on the basis of job title and air monitoring data for dose response testing. This classification scheme was shown roughly to correlate with plasma cholinesterase inhibition in the workers. No statistically significant differences in illness or prevalence of symptoms were observed between the exposed and unexposed groups or among the three exposure subgroups. Potentially exposed employees did report symptoms of dizziness and of malaise and fatigue relatively more often than subjects from the comparison group; however, further analyses by exposure level, process area, or time did not support a relation with exposure. No cases of peripheral neuropathy were seen among the exposed workers. Although the sample size was small and the statistical power limited, the cumulative exposures likely to have been experienced by this workforce exceed those to be expected for individuals using the product as recommended. The absence of exposure related adverse effects, including neurological impairment, is reassuring.

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