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A mortality study of 364 subjects identified as working at a 1,3-butadiene unit of Union Carbide was conducted. Of this cohort, 277 worked at the Rubber Reserve unit which produced butadiene from ethanol, and 87 at units which produced butadiene from olefin cracking. The standardized mortality ratio (SMR) for death from all causes was 0.91. The SMR for deaths from all cancers was 1.05. The SMR for lymphosarcoma and reticulosarcoma was significantly elevated at 5.77 with four occurrences. Three of these four deaths occurred after more than 2 years exposure and 30 years latency. A nonsignificant excess of stomach cancer deaths was detected. The incidence was more pronounced for subjects working at the Rubber Reserve unit for more than 2 years. The authors conclude that butadiene is carcinogenic in humans, having contributed to an excess of mortality from lymphosarcoma and reticulosarcoma.
Environmental Health Perspectives, 103(6):598-603, 1995. (30 references)
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