Objectives: Healthcare workers in hospitals (HHCWs), a notably increasing workforce, face various occupational hazards. A high incidence of cancer among HHCWs has been observed; however, the cancer incidence status among HHCWs in South Korea is yet to be studied. This study aimed to assess cancer incidence among HHCWs in South Korea. Methods: We constructed a retrospective cohort of HHCWs using National Health Insurance claims data, including cancer incidence status and vital status, from 2007 to 2015. Those who had worked in hospitals for at least three years were defined as HHCWs. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) for all cancer types and standardized mortality ratios were calculated. Results: A total of 107,646 HHCWs were followed up, and the total follow-up duration was 905,503 person-years. Compared to the total workers, female HHCWs showed significantly higher SIR for all cancers (observed cases = 1480; SIR = 1.25; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.06–1.47). The incidence of breast cancer among female HHCWs was significantly higher compared to that among total workers (observed cases = 376; SIR = 1.21; 95% CI = 1.09–1.36). Conclusions: Our findings indicate that female HHCWs have an elevated probability of developing cancer, which suggests that occupational risk factors such as night-shift work, anti-neoplastic medications, stressful jobs, and ionizing radiation should be assessed. Further investigation and occupational environment improvement activities are required.

Background Lead exposure is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), and coronary artery calcification (CAC) is a biomarker for diagnosing atherosclerotic CVD. This study investigated the association between blood lead level (BLL) and CAC using coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography. Methods This study enrolled 2,189 participants from the general population with no history or symptoms of CVD. All participants underwent coronary CT angiography, health examination, and BLL testing. The association between coronary artery calcium score (CACS) and BLL was analyzed. Results The arithmetic mean of BLL was 2.71 ± 1.26 μg/dL, and the geometric mean was 2.42 (1.64) μg/dL, ranging from 0.12 to 10.14 μg/dL. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between CACS and BLL ( r = 0.073, P < 0.001). Mean BLLs among predefined CACS categories were as follows: absent grade (CACS = 0), 2.67 ± 1.23 μg/dL; minimal grade (> 0, < 10), 2.81 ± 1.25 μg/dL; mild grade (≥ 10, < 100), 2.74 ± 1.29 μg/dL; moderate grade (≥ 100, < 400), 2.88 ± 1.38 μg/dL; severe grade (≥ 400): 3.22 ± 1.68 μg/dL. The odds ratio for severe CAC was 1.242 in association with an 1 μg/dL increase in BLL ( P = 0.042). Conclusion Using coronary CT angiography, we determined a positive correlation between BLL and CAC among participants without CVD from the general population. To reduce the burden of CVD, efforts and policies should be geared toward minimizing environmental lead exposure.