The increased occurrence of
lung cancer in residents of Dolny Kubin, the North-Slovakia district with
ferrochromium industry, compared to the general population of Slovakia, led us to the study assessing influence of the occupational and environmantal exposure to
chromium on the
lung cancer incidence, respecting also the risk coming from cigarette smoking. Residents of Dolny Kubin district with the diagnosed
lung cancer in 1984-1999 were involved in the study. The occurrence of
lung cancer was significantly higher in people working in
ferrochromium industry. The age at the onset of the disease in people exposed to
chromium was by 5.5 years lower than in non-exposed. Smoking was an important risk factor, which has been proved particularly in non-exposed group where 62% were smokers and the onset of the
lung cancer in them occured about 3.4 years earlier than in non-smokers. In exposed groups, no significant effect of smoking was found. We can conclude, that occupational exposure to
chromium was identified as the main risk factor of
lung cancer in Dolny Kubin district even overlaying effect of smoking.