The Occupational Studies Section conducts epidemiologic studies to identify the occupational and other causes of cancer. Analysis of mortality among farmers found excesses for several cancers among men and women, blacks and whites. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and multiple myeloma was excessive among farm women who applied pesticides to livestock. No clear association occurred between use of the herbicide atrazine and non- Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Lung cancer was elevated among urban pesticide applicators in florida and the excess could not be accounted for by smoking. The risk of brain cancer rose with the frequency. probability and duration of occupational exposure to the solvent methylene chloride. formaldehyde was associated with the development of nasopharyngeal cancer in a case-control study from the Philippines. Contrary to earlier reports. the risk of bladder cancer among Chinese workers exposed to benzidine was lower among slow acetylators than fast acetylators. The frequency of micronuclei in lymphocytes and buccal cell increased with level of exposure to formaldehyde among a study of students in a school of mortuary science. A computerized exposure assessment system provided a method to fully document the data and procedures used in quantitative assessments in cohort studies. An international conference on cancer risks among women from occupational exposures included many new papers on this neglected topic and suggested areas for future research.
