University of Montreal Hospital Research Center (CRCHUM), Montreal, QC, Canada.
Scand J Work Environ Health. 2013 Jul;39(4):401-10. doi: 10.5271/sjweh.3344. Epub 2013 Jan 17.
This study aimed to explore the possible association between formaldehyde exposure and lung cancer risk.
Data were collected in two population-based case-control studies conducted in Montreal, Canada. Cases were individuals diagnosed with incident, histologically-confirmed lung cancer. Controls were randomly selected from electoral lists and frequency-matched to cases by age, sex, and electoral district of residence. Interviews for the two studies were conducted in 1979-1986 and 1996-2002, using a virtually identical questionnaire to obtain lifetime occupational and smoking history and several lifestyle covariates. Experts reviewed the detailed work history for each participant to assess exposure to several occupational agents, including formaldehyde. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the associations between several metrics of formaldehyde exposure and lung cancer, adjusting for smoking and occupational and sociodemographic factors.
In all, 2060 lung cancer cases and 2046 population controls were interviewed and assessed for exposure. About 25% of subjects had ever been occupationally exposed to formaldehyde. The adjusted OR for lung cancer was 1.06 (95% CI 0.89-1.27) comparing ever versus never exposure to formaldehyde. Analyses for age at first exposure, average, and peak intensity of exposure also suggested an absence of association between formaldehyde exposure and lung cancer risk. Results did not vary by sex, lifetime smoking intensity, or histological subtype.
No marked increases in lung cancer risk related to workplace formaldehyde exposure were observed. Study participants were mainly exposed at low concentration levels, which should be considered in the interpretation of our findings.
本研究旨在探讨甲醛暴露与肺癌风险之间可能存在的关联。
数据来自加拿大蒙特利尔进行的两项基于人群的病例对照研究。病例为确诊的、组织学证实的肺癌患者。对照是从选民名单中随机选择的，按照年龄、性别和居住地的选区与病例相匹配。这两项研究的访谈分别于 1979-1986 年和 1996-2002 年进行，使用几乎相同的问卷来获取终生职业和吸烟史以及几个生活方式协变量。专家审查了每位参与者的详细工作经历，以评估他们接触过的几种职业性接触物，包括甲醛。使用逻辑回归来估计几种甲醛暴露指标与肺癌之间的关联的比值比（OR）和 95%置信区间（95%CI），并调整了吸烟和职业及社会人口因素。
共对 2060 例肺癌病例和 2046 例人群对照进行了访谈和暴露评估。大约 25%的受试者曾有过职业性甲醛暴露。与从未接触过甲醛相比，调整后的肺癌 OR 为 1.06（95%CI 0.89-1.27）。分析首次接触甲醛的年龄、平均和峰值强度也表明甲醛暴露与肺癌风险之间不存在关联。结果不因性别、终生吸烟强度或组织学亚型而异。
未观察到与工作场所甲醛暴露相关的肺癌风险明显增加。研究参与者主要暴露于低浓度水平，这应在解释我们的研究结果时予以考虑。
