Influence of arsenic exposure and smoking on lung cancer among smelter workers: a pilot study.

A pilot study of 300 smelter workers from the cohort reported by Lee and Fraumeni [1969] has been studied: 150 men from their heavy exposure group and 150 men from the rest of the cohort randomly selected. Usable smoking habits were obtained from 86% of the sample. Estimates of the total lifetime work exposure were made from available measurements. A very high risk of lung cancer (SMR 1429) was observed among the most heavily exposed workers. Excess risks, though still present, were much less in those with lower exposures. There was a lower proportion of nonsmokers among the heavily exposed arsenic workers than among the other workers. This suggests that there may be some interaction between smoking and arsenic exposure. Moreover, comparison of smoking habits reported by smelter workers suggested that, as a group, they smoked more heavily than average for the United States population. A small study of proxy smoking histories suggested that these were valid and unbiased. The work continues on an enlarged sample.