Estimating the Impact of Changes to Occupational Standards for Silica Exposure on Lung Cancer Mortality.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Respiratory exposure to silica is associated with the risk of death owing to malignant and nonmalignant disease. 2.3 million US workers are exposed to silica. Occupational exposure limits for silica are derived from a number of lines of evidence, including observational studies. Observational studies may be subject to healthy worker survivor bias, which could result in underestimates of silica's impact on worker mortality and, in turn, bias risk estimates for occupational exposure limits.

Methods

Using data on 65,999 workers pooled across multiple industries, we estimate the impacts of several hypothetical occupational exposure limits on silica exposure on lung cancer and all-cause mortality. We use the parametric g-formula, which can account for healthy worker su

SUBMITTER: Keil AP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6066423 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature