Abstract | OBJECTIVES: In attempts to overcome the limitations of self-reported data in occupational health research, job-exposure matrices, which assign exposure by occupation, have emerged as an objective approach for assessing occupational exposures. On the basis of a lung cancer case-control study conducted in the Greater Toronto Area, 1997-2002, assessment of occupational exposure to asbestos was compared using self-reports and a general population job-exposure matrix (DOM-JEM). METHODS: Cases and frequency matched controls provided life-time job histories and self-reported exposures to potential lung carcinogens including asbestos through a detailed questionnaire. Exposure to asbestos was also assigned to each job by linking occupational histories with DOM-JEM. Agreement in classification of exposed and unexposed jobs according to self-reports and DOM-JEM was evaluated using Cohen's κ. Risks for lung cancer were estimated using unconditional logistic regression for each exposure assessment approach. RESULTS: The prevalence of occupational asbestos exposure was greater when based on DOM-JEM than when based on self-reports. Agreement in classifying exposure to jobs between the two assessment approaches was poor. The risk of lung cancer was not elevated among workers who self-reported asbestos exposure, whereas workers considered exposed on the basis of DOM-JEM were almost twice as likely as unexposed workers to be diagnosed with lung cancer (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.3 to 2.7). CONCLUSIONS: It is generally assumed by epidemiologists that self-reported exposure assessments result in inflated risk estimates. In this study, self-reports found no association with a well-established risk factor, whereas a high-quality job-exposure matrix revealed relative risk estimates that are more consistent with previous findings.
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Authors | Jill S Hardt, Roel Vermeulen, Susan Peters, Hans Kromhout, John R McLaughlin, Paul A Demers |
Journal | Occupational and environmental medicine
(Occup Environ Med)
Vol. 71
Issue 4
Pg. 282-8
(Apr 2014)
ISSN: 1470-7926 [Electronic] England |
PMID | 24334241
(Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article)
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Chemical References |
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Topics |
- Adult
- Aged
- Asbestos
(adverse effects)
- Case-Control Studies
- Female
- Humans
- Logistic Models
- Lung Neoplasms
(chemically induced)
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Occupational Diseases
(chemically induced)
- Occupational Exposure
(analysis, classification)
- Prevalence
- Risk Factors
- Self Report
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