The incidence of cancer in 12 693 shipyard and machine shop male workers (1689 welders, 4308 platers, 6003 machinists, 693 pipe fitters) employed for at least one year between 1945 and 1960 was investigated in a retrospective cohort study. The welders had welded only mild steel and had not been exposed to hexavalent chromium containing fume. The follow up was 99-7% complete and the total number of person-years was 304 682. The incidence of cancer in 1953-81 was ascertained through the Finnish Cancer Registry. The observed numbers of cases of cancer were compared with the expected numbers based on regional urban rates. The smoking habits of the cohort were surveyed with a postal questionnaire sent to a sample of 961 workers. The smoking habits of the cohorts were similar and smoking was not more common than among the general population. The total number of cases of cancer was 611 (exp 629) among the shipyard workers and 376 (exp 388) among the machine shop workers. The incidence of lung cancer was increased among the shipyard workers (obs 227, exp 192). This excess was observed in all the worker groups and was most evident for the pipe fitters and platers. Among the machine shop workers, the incidence of lung cancer was lower than expected with the exception of the welders who had a slightly raised risk of lung cancer (obs 14, exp 10). The incidence of laryngeal cancer was slightly raised among the shipyard workers (obs 24, exp 20) but not in the machine shop workers. No excess risk was observed among the welders.

A case-referent study was done on the possible association between primary liver cancer (ICD 155.0) and occupational exposures. In all, 374 cases were reported to the Finnish Cancer Registry in 1979 and 1980. After the exclusion of wrong diagnoses, nonrespondents and cases for whom the primary site was uncertain, 126 cases (64 men and 62 women) remained. Each case was matched for sex, age (+/- 5 years), vital status and geographical district with two cases of coronary infarction selected from hospital records without any knowledge of occupational history. Nonrespondence (38%) reduced the number to 175 referents (82 men and 92 women). A questionnaire on former employment and tasks was mailed to living subjects (6 + 6) and to the next of kin of deceased patients. An industrial hygienist then evaluated the exposure history blindly and, whenever necessary, contacted the workplace or the next of kin for more details. Only exposures commencing 10 years or more before diagnosis were considered. Altogether six female cases but no referent had been exposed to solvents. One had been exposed to chlorinated solvents in dry cleaning and two others had used both carbon tetrachloride and aromatic and aliphatic solvents. Three cases had been exposed to mixtures of aliphatic and aromatic solvents, but not chlorinated hydrocarbons. By contrast, the men did not differ with regard to exposure to solvents. Two cases and five referents were classified as having been exposed to solvent mixtures. The present results are hypothesis generating only, and the excess solvent exposure found for women must be confirmed in other studies before any conclusions can be drawn.

As ikainen, MD3HERNBERG S, KAUPPINEN T, RIALA R, KORKALA M-L, ASlKAINEN U. Increased risk for primary liver cancer among women exposed to solvents. Scand J Work Environ Health 14 (1988) 356-365. An earlier case-referentstudy by the same authors [Int Arch Occup Environ Health 54 (1984) 147-153] reported that solvent-exposed women, but not men, had an increased risk for primary liver cancer. The present study was undertaken to verify these results. The relatives of deceased patients, ie, 377 liver cancer cases, 385 coronary infar ction referents, and 476 stomach cancer referents, responded to a questionn aire on past employment and potenti ally relevant covariables, the response rates being 71.7,72.7, and 69.0 Ufo, respectively. The information was assessed for solvent exposure by two occupational hygienists without knowledge of the patients' diagnoses. Seven male and seven female liver cancer cases had been exposed to solvents, the odds ratio being < 1 for the men but> 3 for the women irrespective of the reference group used for comparison . The results confirm the authors' earlier findings. When both materials were combined, the odds ratio was 7.8 for the female liver cancer cases as compared with the infarction referent s. In the combined material, nine female liver cancer cases, two stomach cancer referents, but no infarctio n referent had had at least probable exposure to chlorinated hydrocarb ons. Such exposure was rare among all of the men in the study. This finding may explain why the increased liver cancer risk occurred only for the women, althou gh a sex dif ference in sensitivity cannot be completely ruled out.

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