Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

O Axelson

Publications and source records attributed to O Axelson.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1982

Cancer morbidity among polishers.

The mortality pattern among 86 men was determined to investigate the possible hazards of polishing steel. The men had polished steel with polishing paste for at least five years. The polishing pastes had contained tallow, beeswax, carnauba wax, alundum, carborundum, ferric oxide, and chalk. A total of 18 men had died compared with 13.3 expected. Four had died of stomach cancer compared with 0.44 expected (p less than 0.005). The mortality for other causes of death was not increased. The study does not permit any definite conclusion but indicates a possible cancer hazard among polishers.

Aged↗
PubMed1982

A validation of questionnaire information on occupational exposure and smoking.

Occupational exposure information obtained via a questionnaire to close relatives of 160 deceased smelter workers was compared with data from employee registers. The data from the questionnaire regarding employment at the smelter had a very high validity, ie, a sensitivity of 98% and a specificity of 99%. When an assessment of arsenic exposure was made from information in the questionnaire, the sensitivity was only 40%, but the specificity was over 90%. Data on smoking habits were available from medical files for only 14 of the subjects. For all 14, the information was identical to the data in the questionnaires. It appears that questionnaires may sometimes be of use for exposure assessments in occupational health epidemiology.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

A comment on the reference series with regard to multiple exposure evaluations in a case-referent study.

Case-referent (case-control) studies permit multiple exposures to be considered within the same series of cases and referents (controls) with regard to the etiologic contribution to a certain disease. Specific aspects of validity should be considered however, one being the utilization of an adequate reference series. Should the exposure cause, prevent, or otherwise have a certain relationship to disorders other than the one being studied, individuals with such other disorders cannot be uncritically included in the reference series if obtained from a hospital register, a register of causes of deaths, or some other source of subjects with relations to the individuals' health status. If a general population register is utilized, this problem is avoided since individuals obtained from such a register would adequately reflect the exposure frequency of the source population of the cases. These aspects are well illustrated by a consideration of the use of drugs among cases and, on one hand, referents with some sort of disorder as compared to referents (whether healthy or not) obtained from a population register on the other hand. Studies of industrial exposures seem to be somewhat less sensitive to bias of this type however, since industrial exposures are not primarily disorder-related, whereas drug exposures are.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Effects of low-dose radiation - a correlation study.

The effects of low-dose radiation have been a matter of controversy over the years, and the epidemiologic results have been conflicting. A couple of recent studies have indicated a possible impact on lung cancer mortality from exposure to indoor levels of radon and radon daughters. In this study, selected mortality rates, ie, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer (females only), leukemia, and multiple myeloma were correlated for the counties of Sweden with estimates of average background radiation exposure in these areas. Significant correlations were obtained for lung cancer (males, r = 0.46; females r = 0.55) and pancreatic cancer (males, r = 0.59; females, r = 0.40) , and there was a borderline correlation (r = 0.36; p = 0.04) for leukemia in males. In all, there were positive correlations for eight out of the nine computations made. Since background radiation correlates with urbanization and therefore with smoking, air pollution, etc, the correlations might be spurious due to confounding; on the other hand confounding is a reciprocal phenomenon which suggests that background radiation should to be taken into consideration when widespread risk factors like smoking, coffee drinking, general air pollution, etc, are studied.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Soft-tissue sarcomas and exposure to chemical substances: a case-referent study.

In 1977 several patients were seen with soft-tissue sarcomas and previous exposure to phenoxy acids. This clinical observation resulted in a cases-referent (case-control) study being undertaken which showed that exposure to phenoxy acids or chlorophenols, which are chemically related, gave a roughly six-fold increase in the risk for this type of tumour. A further case-referent study of soft-tissue sarcomas has now been performed to confirm these earlier findings and also to obtain further information on the effects of different phenoxy acids. This new investigation gave an increase of the same magnitude in the risk for soft-tissue sarcomas after exposure to phenoxy acids or chlorophenols, but this risk related also to exposure to phenoxy acids free from impurities, such as polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans.

Agricultural Workers' Diseases↗
PubMed1981

Cancer morbidity among men exposed to oil mist in the metal industry.

The cancer morbidity pattern among 788 men with at least five years' exposure to oil mist was investigated. Based on measurements, interviews of workers and a survey of changes over the years, the average exposure level was estimated to have been 5 mg/m3 or more prior to 1965. Exclusive of cancer of the scrotum, there were 39 observed cases of cancer compared to 52.9 expected. There were four cases of cancer of the scrotum among the turners but none among the grinders. Three cases of lung cancer were found, compared to 5.4 expected. Among the grinders there was a doubled, but not statistically significant, increase in cancer of the stomach. The mortality from all causes showed a so-called "healthy worker effect," that is, 126 deaths compared to 154.3 expected.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

A pilot study on respiratory and digestive tract cancer among woodworkers.

Cancer of the nose and paranasal sinuses is a known occupational hazard among workers in the furniture industry. An increased frequency of cancer at other sites has also been suggested to occur among different types of woodworkers in the United States, eg, cancer of the gastrointestinal tract and lung but also lymphatic and hematopoietic malignancies. This case-referent study is of a pilot character and was undertaken for the further elucidation of respiratory and digestive tract cancer among Swedish woodworkers. A four-fold excess of respiratory cancer, other than nasal cancer, was found, particularly in relation to furniture workers, whereas no definite excess of digestive tract cancer was indicated. Further studies seem worthwhile regarding cancer hazard in the woodworking industry.

Aged↗
PubMed1980

Herbicide exposure and tumor mortality. An updated epidemiologic investigation on Swedish railroad workers.

An earlier cohort study of Swedish railroad workers indicated a possible relationship between exposure to herbicides and an increased overall tumor morbidity and mortality. The cohort of 348 individuals has now been followed through October 1978. In this updated analysis of the causes of death among railroad workers, the observed number of tumor deaths was higher than expected, especially among individuals exposed in the earlier years of the study to both amitrol and phenoxy acids. However, the excess tumor mortality among persons exposed to amitrol became more moderate, and the earlier, slightly increased tumor mortality among people exposed to phenoxy acids more pronounced. No specific type of tumor predominated although there were three stomach cancers and three lung cancers. The result of the previous analysis of deaths among these railroad workers has been confirmed as to an excess of tumors, but the aspects of causal relationships to specific agents remain rather unclear, especially since workers exposed to a combination of amitrol and phenoxy acids seem to be the most seriously affected. However, the result, being in agreement with animal data and other epidemiologic studies, suggests a need for the careful handling of amitrol and phenoxy acids as increasingly suspicious carcinogens.

2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxyacetic Acid↗
PubMed1979

A cohort study of mortality and cancer incidence in ethylene oxide production workers.

Ethylene oxide, important as an intermediate product in the chemical industry and for sterilising hospital equipment, is mutagenic in several organisms; carcinogenicity has been suspected although this had not been supported by clinical data. Ethylene oxide has been produced by a Swedish company since the beginning of the 1940s. This paper describes a cohort study of the mortality and the cancer incidence among full-time exposed workers in ethylene oxide production, a group of maintenance workers with intermittent exposure and a group of unexposed controls. Investigation of the production processes in the building at different times has shown that workers were exposed to ethylene dichloride, ethylene chlorohydrin, ethylene, and small amounts of bis-(2-chloroethyl) ether as well as to ethylene oxide and traces of other chemicals. The full-time exposed cohort shows a considerable excess mortality deriving mainly from increased mortality from tumours and also from diseases of the circulatory system. The cancer incidence study, including living persons with malignancies, showed a significant excess in the full-time cohort. Of the 16 patients with tumours in the two more exposed cohorts there were three cases of leukaemia, six of tumours in the alimentary tract and four of urogenital malignancy. The excess mortality and cancer incidence cannot be attributed to any particular chemical in the production process, but ethylene oxide and ethylene dichloride are the prime suspects.

Chemical Industry↗
PubMed1979

Lung cancer and residency--a case-referent study on the possible impact of of exposure to radon and its daughters in dwellings.

In view of the well-known urban-rural difference in lung cancer rates, remaining also after standardization for smoking, it is suggested that low levels of radon and its daughters in dwellings might be of etiologic importance to this disease. To test this hypothesis, a case-referent (case-control) study was undertaken in a rural area; it considered residency in wooden houses (assumed to be associated with low-level exposure to radon and its daughters), "mixed type" houses (medium exposure) and stone houses (high-level exposure) among cases of lung cancer and referents (controls). The results indicate an increased risk of lung cancer among residents in "mixed type" and stone houses. Additional studies are highly desirable to confirm or refute these findings, which, if valid, mean increasing lung cancer hazards caused by a decrease in ventilation in future energy saving unless special measures are undertaken to reduce radon daughters in dwellings.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Cancer incidence and exposure to iron oxide dust.

Iron oxides, particularly hematite, have been suspected for carcinogenic properties based on epidemiological observations and experimental data. This case-control (case-referent) study concerns a worker population with high exposure to dust of iron oxides, particularly hematite, and with some impurities of pentavalent arsenic and other metals. In spite of the high exposure levels no excess of cancer has been observed, either in the respiratory system or at other sites. It is suggested that earlier findings of respiratory cancers as possibly associated with iron oxides exposure might rather be due to other concomitant risk factors.

Adult↗