Lung cancer among chinese kitchen workers

Introduction: Studies have documented the presence of various carcinogens and mutagens in cooking fumes, and kitchen workers are supposed to be most exposed.  

Objectives: To determine whether Chinese kitchen workers in Hong Kong were at a higher risk of death from lung cancer.  

Methods: The study subjects consisted of male Chinese kitchen workers who had been a food-service union member and died at age 30 or above within the period of January 1, 1986 to December 31, 1995 in Hong Kong. Relevant information was retrieved from union records. The standardised proportional mortality ratio (SPMR) was adopted to compare their lung cancer risk with the general male population. Internal comparison was made with a non-exposed group (deaths among waiters during the study period from the same unions) and the mortality odds ratio (MOR), i.e. the ratio of the mortality odds between lung cancer and other diseases was calculated.  

Results: A total of 652 deceased male food-service workers (306 kitchen workers and 346 waiters) were identified for the years 1986 to 1995. Compared with the general population, significant excess risk of dying from all types of cancers was found among the kitchen workers (SPMR=1.16, 95% CI:1.02-1.32) whereas only a non-significant excess risk of dying from lung cancer was observed (SPMR=1.15, 95% CI:0.87-1.52). Comparing to the waiters, a slight excess MOR for lung cancer (1.16, 95% CI:0.72-1.88), which was  not statistically significant, was found in the kitchen workers.  

Discussion/conclusions: Male Chinese kitchen workers were found to have an excess risk of dying from cancers of all sites, and they might have a slightly increased risk of dying from lung cancer. Confounding could not be fully adjusted due to the lack of information in union