| Document ID (ISN) | 75448 |
| CIS number |
00-1346 |
| ISSN - Serial title |
0271-3586 - American Journal of Industrial Medicine |
| Year |
1996 |
| Convention or series no. |
|
| Author(s) |
Mastrangelo G., Marzia V., Marcer G. |
| Title |
Reduced lung cancer mortality in dairy farmers: Is endotoxin exposure the key factor? |
| Bibliographic information |
Nov. 1996, Vol.30, No.5, p.601-609. 35 ref. |
| Abstract |
2,283 male farmers who worked either in cattle raising or in crop/orchard cultivation were selected. There were 422 cohort deaths from 1970 to 1992. Using the regional population as a reference, the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) was calculated. Cancer mortality was significantly reduced among the 1,561 dairy farmers; there was a significant decrease in lung cancer, whereas a significant increase from brain tumours was found. Neither overall cancer mortality nor the lung cancer SMR deviated significantly from unity for the 722 crop/orchard farmers. Among dairy farmers, moreover, lung cancer SMRs showed a significant downward trend. This decrease cannot be attributed to the healthy worker effect, a confounding bias or an artifact. Dairy farmers are known to be exposed to higher airborne endotoxin concentrations; reasonably, this cumulative exposure increases further with years of work and area of farm. Endotoxins may have protected the dairy farmers against lung cancer through the tumour necrosis factor produced by alveolar macrophages. |
| Descriptors (primary) |
bacterial toxins; mortality; dairy farming; agriculture; cancer |
| Descriptors (secondary) |
macrophages; brain cancer; epidemiology; frequency rates; hazard evaluation; cohort study; lung cancer |
| Document type |
D - Periodical articles |
| Country / State or Province | Italy |
| Subject(s) |
Occupational pathology
|
| Broad subject area(s) |
Industries and occupations
|
| Browse category(ies) |
Agriculture
|
