[ OSH-Link Home
| IVI Online
| Comments ]
Cancer incidence among alachlor (15972608) manufacturing workers was evaluated via a historical cohort study. The study population included 943 workers with at least 1 year of cumulative employment at an alachlor manufacturing facility in Iowa at some time between March 1968 and December 1990; 96% of those workers were successfully traced. Eighteen workers were diagnosed with cancer during followup. The standardized incidence ratio for all cancers was 1.5 for all workers exposed to alachlor; elevated rates were primarily attributed to colorectal cancer (four cases) and chronic myeloid leukemia (two cases). Elevated rates of colorectal cancer were observed in workers with 5 or more years in jobs with high alachlor exposure. No cancers were found in stomach, thyroid gland, or nasal cavity. The authors conclude that definitive conclusions are limited by the small study population, minimal length of followup, and current information regarding alachlor metabolism; nonetheless, these findings support the need for further evaluation of alachlor exposed cohorts.
American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 30(3):300-306, 1996. (22 references)
You can do a search of the OSH-DB database and get a list of articles on any topic of interest on our Visitor Search Page. Access to read the articles is limited to OSH-DB subscribers.