Occupational exposure to textile dust and lung cancer risk Results from the ICARE Study
Abstract
Background - To investigate the association of lung cancer with occupational exposure to textile dust and specifically to cotton dust in the population-based case-control study ICARE. Methods - Lifelong occupational history of 2926 cases and 3555 controls was collected using standardized questionnaires, with specific questions for textile dust exposure. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using unconditional logistic regression models controlling for confounding factors including smoking and asbestos exposure. Results - An inverse association between textile dust exposure and lung cancer was found among workers exposed ≥5% of their work time (OR = 0.80, 95%CI = 0.58-1.09), more pronounced for distant exposures (40+ years; up to a 56% reduced risk, statistically significant). The OR of lung cancer was significantly decreased among workers exposed to cotton fibers (OR = 0.70, 95%CI = 0.48-0.97). Conclusions - Our results provide some evidence of a decreased risk of lung cancer associated with exposure to textile dust, particularly cotton.