Indirect validation of benzene exposure assessment by association with benzene poisoning.

We present a validation study of a quantitative retrospective exposure assessment method used in a follow-up study of workers exposed to benzene. Assessment of exposure to benzene was carried out in 672 factories in 12 cities in China. Historical exposure data were collected for 3179 unique job titles. The basic unit for exposure assessment was a factory/work unit/job title combination over seven periods between 1949 and 1987. A total of 18,435 exposure estimates was developed, using all available historical information, including 8477 monitoring data. Overall, 38% of the estimates were based on benzene monitoring data. The highest time-weighted average exposures were observed for the rubber industry (30.7 ppm) and for rubber glue applicators (52.6 ppm). Because of its recognized link with benzene exposure, the association between a clinical diagnosis of benzene poisoning and benzene exposure was evaluated to validate the assessment method that we used in the cohort study. Our confidence in the assessment method is supported by the observation of a strong positive trend between benzene poisoning and various measures, especially recent intensity of exposure to benzene.

[1]  J. Mclaughlin,et al.  Indirect validation of a retrospective method of exposure assessment used in a nested case-control study of lung cancer and silica exposure. , 1994, Occupational and environmental medicine.

[2]  P. Stewart,et al.  Effects of three features of a job-exposure matrix on risk estimates. , 1994, Epidemiology.

[3]  M. Joffe.  Validity of exposure data derived from a structured questionnaire. , 1992, American journal of epidemiology.

[4]  U Ulfvarson,et al.  Validation of exposure information in occupational epidemiology. , 1992, American journal of industrial medicine.

[5]  P. Stewart,et al.  Do quantitative exposure assessments improve risk estimates in occupational studies of cancer? , 1992, American journal of industrial medicine.

[6]  Norman E. Breslow,et al.  Statistical Methods in Cancer Research, Vol. II: The Design and Analysis of Cohort Studies. , 1990 .

[7]  C. Hertzman,et al.  A comparison of exposure estimates by worker raters and industrial hygienists. , 1989, Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health.

[8]  J Siemiatycki,et al.  Costs and statistical power associated with five methods of collecting occupation exposure information for population-based case-control studies. , 1989, American journal of epidemiology.

[9]  Mustafa Dosemeci,et al.  Evaluating Occupation and Industry Separately to Assess Exposures in Case-Control Studies , 1989 .

[10]  B. Goldstein,et al.  Use of longitudinal analysis of peripheral blood counts to validate historical reconstructions of benzene exposure. , 1989, Environmental health perspectives.

[11]  K Teschke,et al.  Validity and reliability of a method for retrospective evaluation of chlorophenate exposure in the lumber industry. , 1988, American journal of industrial medicine.

[12]  A. Fischbein,et al.  An analysis of the validity of self reported occupational histories using a cohort of workers exposed to PCBs. , 1987, British journal of industrial medicine.

[13]  C. Du,et al.  Occupational exposure to benzene in China. , 1987, British journal of industrial medicine.

[14]  H. Kromhout,et al.  Agreement between qualitative exposure estimates and quantitative exposure measurements. , 1987, American journal of industrial medicine.

[15]  J Siemiatycki,et al.  Inter-rater agreement in assessing occupational exposure in a case-control study. , 1986, British journal of industrial medicine.

[16]  W. Gaffey,et al.  Estimating Historical Exposures to Formaldehyde in a Retrospective Mortality Study , 1986 .

[17]  D. Coggon,et al.  Accuracy of occupational histories obtained from wives. , 1985, British journal of industrial medicine.

[18]  J. Harington.  Environmental Health Perspectives , 1976 .