An updated meta-analysis of formaldehyde exposure and upper respiratory tract cancers.

Abstract

In this study, we summarize 47 epidemiologic studies related to formaldehyde exposure and use meta-analytic techniques to assess findings for cancers of the lung, nose/nasal sinuses, and nasopharynx. Our analyses indicate that workers with formaldehyde exposure have essentially null findings for lung cancer and a slight deficit of sinonasal cancer. Nasopharyngeal cancer rates were elevated moderately in a minority of studies. Most studies, however, did not find any nasopharyngeal cancers, and many failed to report their findings. After correcting for underreporting, we found a meta relative risk of 1.0 for cohort studies. Case-control studies had a meta relative risk of 1.3. Our review of the exposure literature indicated that the nasopharyngeal cancer case-control studies represented much lower and less certain exposures than the cohort studies. We conclude that the available studies do not support a causal relation between formaldehyde exposure and nasopharyngeal cancer. This conclusion conflicts with conclusions from two previous meta-analyses, primarily because of our consideration of unreported data.

• Authors: J J Collins, J F Acquavella, N A Esmen
• Journal: Journal of occupational and environmental medicine (J Occup Environ Med) Vol. 39 Issue 7 Pg. 639-51 (Jul 1997) ISSN: 1076-2752 [Print] United States
• PMID: 9253725 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Meta-Analysis, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Carcinogens, Environmental
• Formaldehyde

Topics

• Carcinogens, Environmental (adverse effects)
• Female
• Formaldehyde (adverse effects)
• Humans
• Male
• Occupational Diseases (chemically induced, epidemiology)
• Respiratory Tract Neoplasms (chemically induced, epidemiology)