October/November 2013 (vol. 10/3)

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Trichloroethylene link to NHL

The solvent trichloroethylene (TCE) continues to be used as an industrial degreaser, despite concerns over its safety (it is a class 2A carcinogen). Meta-analyses were carried out for occupational exposure to TCE for five different cancers. The relative risk (RR) for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma due to TCE exposure was 1.21 (95% CI 1.06–1.38) for combined cohort and case–control studies (24 studies included). The risk estimate was higher when restricted to cohort studies of TCE-exposed workers (RR = 1.52; 1.29–1.79) whereas it was non significant for cohort studies of chlorinated solvent-exposed workers, or for case–control studies alone. Meta-analyses did not show significant associations for occupational TCE exposure and Hodgkin’s lymphoma (13 studies), multiple myeloma (11), leukaemia (12) or chronic/small lymphocytic leukaemia (7).

Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2013; 70:  591–599

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Occupational Health at Work October/November 2013 (vol. 10/3) pp40