A1868 Male germ-cell cancer in car manufacturing workers – results of a nested case-control study

Tuesday, March 20, 2012: 17:00
Bacalar 3 (Cancun Center)
Wolfgang Ahrens, Epidemiological Methods and Etiologic Research, Bremen Institute For Prevention Research And Social Medicine, Bremen, Germany
Ingo Langner, Epidemiological Methods and Etiologic Research, Bremen Institute For Prevention Research And Social Medicine, Bremen, Germany
Nils Schmeißer, Epidemiological Methods and Etiologic Research, Bremen Institute For Prevention Research And Social Medicine, Bremen, Germany
Birte Mester, Epidemiological Methods and Etiologic Research, Bremen Institute For Prevention Research And Social Medicine, Bremen, Germany
Thomas Behrens, Epidemiological Methods and Etiologic Research, Bremen Institute For Prevention Research And Social Medicine, Bremen, Germany
Introduction
This case-control study nested in a cohort of car manufacturing workers investigated occupational and non-occupational factors to explain the excess incidence previously observed in this cohort. Particular attention was paid to pesticides in avocational farm work and to electromagnetic fields (EMF)/ endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC) within the industry.

Methods
Personal interviews of 205 cases and 1091 controls matched by age (±2 years) covered medical and personal characteristics, dietary habits, occupational history and environmental factors. Specific job tasks were assessed by 37 job-specific-questionnaires. An expert panel developed a job-exposure-matrix (JEM) and assessed exposure for each individual with possible exposure according to the JEM. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95%-confidence intervals (CI) were calculated by conditional logistic regression.

Results
The prevalence of farming and forestry working was below expectation (5.3% in cases and 6.3% in controls) and related exposure to pesticides, fertilisers, or disinfectants was not associated with GCC. Metal-cutting and non-cutting jobs yielded ORs of 1.87 (CI 1.31–2.67) and 1.24 (CI 0.68–2.28), respectively, amongst machine fitters, machine assemblers and precision instrument makers. Dermal exposure to oil-based cutting fluids showed an excess risk of non-seminoma after more than 5,000 exposure-hours (OR=4.72; CI 1.48–15.09). Ever-exposure to bisphenol A (OR=1.39; CI 0.93–2.06), epoxy resins (OR=1.41; CI 0.95–2.09) and the glycolether EGBE (OR=1.3; CI 0.93-1.83) was associated non-significantly with GCT. Exposure to dimethylformamide for 3.5 to 8.5 years was associated with GCC (OR=3.48; CI 0.98–12.34). EMF exposure showed no risk elevation.

Discussion
Exposures in farming activities did not explain the excess risk in the cohort. Our data indicate a possible risk of GCC related to exposure to metal-cutting fluids. EGBE belongs to the agent exposures that warrant further attention in this regard. Exposure misclassification may disguise associations for this and other EDCs that showed moderately elevated risks. 

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