Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Metalworking fluid exposure and cancer risk in a retrospective cohort of female autoworkers

  • Original paper
  • Published:
Cancer Causes & Control Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objectives

Metalworking fluids (MWFs) have been associated with cancer of several sites, but the risks have been primarily examined in men or in studies that adjusted for gender in analyses. To evaluate whether risks were similar in women, we report cancer mortality risk among 4,825 female autoworkers within the united autoworkers–general motors autoworkers cohort.

Methods

Standardized mortality rates (SMRs) were calculated based on Michigan death rates (1980–2004). Internal comparisons (1941–2004) were examined using Cox regression for straight, soluble, and synthetic MWFs, and their corresponding oil- and water-based fractions.

Results

MWF exposure levels in the female cohort were generally less than two-third the MWF levels in the male cohort. Female autoworkers had an excess of cancer from all sites (SMR, 1.10; 95 % confidence interval (CI), 0.98–1.22) and lung cancer (SMR, 2.08; 95 % CI, 1.71–2.52). Colon cancer risk increased with straight (mineral oil) MWF exposure (exposure > median; hazard ratio = 3.1; 95 % CI, 1.2–8.0). A protective effect was observed for ovarian cancer with the soluble MWFs and water-based MWF metrics. Although bladder, rectal, and laryngeal cancers and malignant melanoma have been associated with straight MWF exposure and pancreatic cancer with synthetic MWF in men, there were too few deaths in this female subcohort to examine exposure–response relations for these sites. Results were null for lung and breast cancer.

Conclusions

Our findings support an association between colon cancer and straight MWFs, but we found limited evidence of risk for other tumor sites at the lower exposure levels experienced by the female autoworkers.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Tolbert PE (1997) Oils and cancer. Cancer Causes Control 8:386–405

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Friesen MC, Costello S, Eisen EA (2009) Quantitative exposure to metalworking fluids and bladder cancer incidence in a cohort of autoworkers. Am J Epidemiol 169:1471–1478

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Friesen MC, Costello S, Thurston SW, Eisen EA (2011) Distinguishing the common components of oil- and water-based metalworking fluids for assessment of cancer incidence risk in autoworkers. Am J Ind Med 54:450–460

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Costello S, Friesen MC, Christiani DC, Eisen EA. Metalworking fluids and malignant melanoma in autoworkers. Epidemiology 22:90–97

  5. Zhao Y, Krishnadasan A, Kennedy N, Morgenstern H, Ritz B (2005) Estimated effects of solvents and mineral oils on cancer incidence and mortality in a cohort of aerospace workers. Am J Ind Med 48:249–258

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Malloy EJ, Miller KL, Eisen EA (2007) Rectal cancer and exposure to metalworking fluids in the automobile manufacturing industry. Occup Environ Med 64:244–249

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Mehta AJ, Malloy EJ, Applebaum KM, Schwartz J, Christiani DC, Eisen EA (2010) Reduced lung cancer mortality and exposure to synthetic fluids and biocide in the auto manufacturing industry. Scand J Work Environ Health 36:499–508

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Agalliu I, Eisen EA, Kriebel D, Quinn MM, Wegman DH (2005) A biological approach to characterizing exposure to metalworking fluids and risk of prostate cancer (United States). Cancer Causes Control 16:323–331

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Agalliu I, Kriebel D, Quinn MM, Wegman DH, Eisen EA (2005) Prostate cancer incidence in relation to time windows of exposure to metalworking fluids in the auto industry. Epidemiology 16:664–671

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Thompson D, Kriebel D, Quinn MM, Wegman DH, Eisen EA (2005) Occupational exposure to metalworking fluids and risk of breast cancer among female autoworkers. Am J Ind Med 47:153–160

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Thurston SW, Eisen EA, Schwartz J (2002) Smoothing in survival models: an application to workers exposed to metalworking fluids. Epidemiology 13:685–692

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Savitz DA (2003) Epidemiologic evidence on the carcinogenicity of metalworking fluids. Appl Occup Environ Hyg 18:913–920

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Health) NNIfOS (1998) Occupational exposure to metalworking fluids. Criteria for a recommended standard. In: Services UDoHH ed. Cincinnati OH: Public Health Service CDC

  14. Eisen EA, Bardin J, Gore R, Woskie SR, Hallock MF, Monson RR (2001) Exposure-response models based on extended follow-up of a cohort mortality study in the automobile industry. Scand J Work Environ Health 27:240–249

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Eisen EA, Tolbert PE, Monson RR, Smith TJ (1992) Mortality studies of machining fluid exposure in the automobile industry I: a standardized mortality ratio analysis. Am J Ind Med 22:809–824

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Bardin JA, Eisen EA, Tolbert PE et al (1997) Mortality studies of machining fluid exposure in the automobile industry. V: a case–control study of pancreatic cancer. Am J Ind Med 32:240–247

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Arbuckle TE (2006) Are there sex and gender differences in acute exposure to chemicals in the same setting? Environ Res 101:195–204

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Kennedy SM, Koehoorn M (2003) Exposure assessment in epidemiology: does gender matter? Am J Ind Med 44:576–583

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Messing K, Mager StellmanJ (2006) Sex, gender and women’s occupational health: the importance of considering mechanism. Environ Res 101:149–162

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Messing K, Punnett L, Bond M et al (2003) Be the fairest of them all: challenges and recommendations for the treatment of gender in occupational health research. Am J Ind Med 43:618–629

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Zahm SH, Blair A (2003) Occupational cancer among women: where have we been and where are we going? Am J Ind Med 44:565–575

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Zahm SH, Pottern LM, Lewis DR, Ward MH, White DW (1994) Inclusion of women and minorities in occupational cancer epidemiologic research. J Occup Med 36:842–847

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Gray J, Evans N, Taylor B, Rizzo J, Walker M (2009) State of the evidence: the connection between breast cancer and the environment. Int J Occup Environ Health 15:43–78

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Shanle EK, Xu W (2011) Endocrine disrupting chemicals targeting estrogen receptor signaling: identification and mechanisms of action. Chem Res Toxicol 24:6–19

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Fu JB, Kau TY, Severson RK, Kalemkerian GP (2005) Lung cancer in women: analysis of the national surveillance, epidemiology, and end results database. Chest 127:768–777

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Sun S, Schiller JH, Gazdar AF (2007) Lung cancer in never smokers: a different disease. Nat Rev Cancer 7:778–790

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Fasco MJ, Hurteau GJ, Spivack SD (2002) Gender-dependent expression of alpha and beta estrogen receptors in human nontumor and tumor lung tissue. Mol Cell Endocrinol 188:125–140

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Siegfried JM (2001) Women and lung cancer: does oestrogen play a role? Lancet Oncol 2:506–513

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Applebaum KM, Malloy EJ, Eisen EA (2011) Left truncation, susceptibility, and bias in occupational cohort studies. Epidemiology 22:599–606

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Hallock MF, Smith TJ, Woskie SR, Hammond SK (1994) Estimation of historical exposures to machining fluids in the automotive industry. Am J Ind Med 26:621–634

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Woskie SR, Smith TJ, Hammond SK et al (1994) Factors affecting worker exposures to metal-working fluids during automotive component manufacturing. Appl Occup Environ Hyg 9:612–621

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Betenia N, Costello S, Eisen EA (2012) Risk of cervical cancer in female autoworkers exposed to metalworking fluids. Scand J Work Environ Health 38:78–83

    Google Scholar 

  33. Eisen EA, Agalliu I, Thurston SW, Coull BA, Checkoway H (2004) Smoothing in occupational cohort studies: an illustration based on penalised splines. Occup Environ Med 61:854–860

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Eisen EA, Tolbert PE, Hallock MF, Monson RR, Smith TJ, Woskie SR (1994) Mortality studies of machining fluid exposure in the automobile-industry.3. A case-control study of larynx cancer. Am J Ind Med 26:185–202

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Sullivan PA, Eisen EA, Woskie SR et al (1998) Mortality studies of metalworking fluid exposure in the automobile industry: VI. A case-control study of esophageal cancer. Am J Ind Med 34:36–48

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Tolbert PE, Eisen EA, Pothier LJ, Monson RR, Hallock MF, Smith TJ (1992) Mortality studies of machining-fluid exposure in the automobile industry. II. Risks associated with specific fluid types. Scand J Work Environ Health 18:351–360

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Zeka A, Eisen EA, Kriebel D, Gore R, Wegman DH (2004) Risk of upper aerodigestive tract cancers in a case-cohort study of autoworkers exposed to metalworking fluids. Occup Environ Med 61:426–431

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Silverman DT, Levin LI, Hoover RN, Hartge P (1989) Occupational risks of bladder cancer in the United States: I. White men. J Natl Cancer Inst 81:1472–1480

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Costello S, Friesen MC, Christiani DC, Eisen EA (2011) Metalworking fluids and malignant melanoma in autoworkers. Epidemiology 22:90–97

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Salehi F, Dunfield L, Phillips KP, Krewski D, Vanderhyden BC (2008) Risk factors for ovarian cancer: an overview with emphasis on hormonal factors. J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev 11:301–321

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Grant R01 OH008927 from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Melissa C. Friesen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Friesen, M.C., Betenia, N., Costello, S. et al. Metalworking fluid exposure and cancer risk in a retrospective cohort of female autoworkers. Cancer Causes Control 23, 1075–1082 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-012-9976-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-012-9976-z

Keywords

Navigation