Occupational risk factors for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: a population-based case-control study in Northern Germany.

OBJECTIVES

To identify occupational factors associated with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL).

METHODS

A population-based case-control study was conducted in which incident cases of high-malignancy NHL (NHL(high)), low-malignancy NHL (NHL(low)), and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) were ascertained during the period 1986-1998 among men and women aged 15-75 years residing in six German counties; controls were drawn from population registries. Occupational histories were collected and agent-specific exposures were estimated via a job-exposure-matrix. Odds ratios were estimated by conditional logistic regression.

RESULTS

A total of 858 cases were included in these analyses. Agricultural workers [odds ratio (OR) = 2.67, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.99, 7.21) and farmers (OR = 1.98, 95% CI: 0.98, 3.98] had elevated risk of NHL(high). Risk of NHL(low) was elevated among agricultural workers (OR = 2.46, 95% CI: 1.17, 5.16), and among blacksmiths, toolmakers, and machine tool operators (OR = 3.12, 95% CI: 1.31, 7.47). Workers in sales and construction had elevated risks of NHL(high) and NHL(low). Exposure to arsenic compounds, chlorophenols, diesel fuel, herbicides, nitrites/nitrates/nitrosamines, and organic dusts were associated with NHL(high) and NHL(low), while exhibiting little association with CLL. A positive monotonic trend in NHL(low) risk across tertiles of cumulative diesel fuel exposure was observed [P-value for test of linear trend (P) = 0.03].

CONCLUSIONS

These findings provide insights into several potential occupational risk factors for NHL and suggest some specific occupational agents for further investigation.