The association between the incidence of postmenopausal breast cancer and occupational exposure to selected organic solvents, Montreal, Canada, 2008-2011
Type de document
Études primaires
Année de publication
2023
Langue
Anglais
Titre de la revue
American Journal of Industrial Medicine
Première page
911
Dernière page
927
Résumé
Background
Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer among women and recognized risk factors explain 25%–47% of cases. Organic solvents are used widely in the workplace and exposure may increase the risk of developing breast cancer, yet there are insufficient data to confirm this hypothesis. We sought to determine whether past occupational exposures to selected organic solvents were associated with the incidence of invasive breast cancer in postmenopausal women in Montréal, Canada.
Methods
From a population-based case–control study (2008–2011), using in-depth interviews we elicited information on risk factors and lifetime occupational histories. Industrial hygienists and chemists translated job descriptions into specific chemical and physical exposures. We assessed 11 individual solvents and four solvent groups. Unconditional logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for metrics of past exposures to selected solvents. Exposure metrics included any previous exposure, average frequency in hours per week, duration in years, and average cumulative concentration weighted by hours per workweek exposed.
Results
We enrolled 695 cases and 608 controls. We found increased ORs for average cumulative concentration of exposure to mononuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (OR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.04, 2.28), chlorinated alkanes (OR: 2.42, 95% CI: 1.23, 5.68), toluene (OR: 1.59, 95% CI: 1.02, 2.59), and a group of organic solvents with reactive metabolites (OR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.08, 2.24). Positive associations were found across all exposure metrics and were higher among women with estrogen-positive/progesterone-negative tumors.
Conclusion
Our findings suggest occupational exposure to certain organic solvents may increase the risk of incident postmenopausal breast cancer.
Mots-clés
Solvant organique, Organic solvent, Cancer du sein, Breast cancer, Relation profession-maladie, Occupation-disease relation, Différence liée à l'âge, Age difference, Femme, Woman, Québec
Numéro de projet IRSST
n/a
Citation recommandée
Westra, S., Goldberg, M. S., Labrèche, F., Baumgartner, J. et Ho, V. (2023). The association between the incidence of postmenopausal breast cancer and occupational exposure to selected organic solvents, Montreal, Canada, 2008–2011. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 66(11), 911-927. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.23525