Increased risk for male bladder cancer among a cohort of male and female hairdressers from Geneva.

A cohort of 703 male and 677 female hairdressers born from 1880 onwards, who started to run salons in Geneva between 1900 and 1964 was followed-up to the end of 1982. Cause-specific mortality was analysed from 1942 to 1982 and a significant excess mortality from bladder cancer (observed deaths = 10, expected deaths = 3.9) was found among males. Cancer incidence recorded for the years 1970 to 1980 showed a significant increase among males for all neoplasms (O = 65, E = 51.4), cancer of the buccal cavity and pharynx (O = 6, E = 2.5), cancer of the prostate (O = 12, E = 6.1), and bladder cancer (O = 11, E = 5.3). Among female hairdressers no significant increase in mortality or in cancer incidence was found. Mean age at diagnosis of the 18 deaths and/or incident cases from bladder cancer found among the male hairdressers was 68.6 years (range 51-88) and mean latency period since first exposure was 52.2 years (range 24-73). Occupational history was obtained for most of the 18 cases and of 54 controls randomly selected from the cohort. Little evidence was found of a causal relationship between exposure to hair dyes and the excess risk for bladder cancer among the male hairdressers. It is a suggestion that this excess might be related to some colouring agent(s) in brilliantines which were widely used in men's hairdressing salons in Geneva until about 1950.