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Lung Cancer Risk after Exposure to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons: A Review and Meta-Analysis

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Armstrong, Ben, Hutchinson, Emma, Unwin, John, Fletcher, Tony·2004·Environmental Health Perspectives
DOI 10.1289/ehp.6895
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Abstract

Typical polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon mixtures are established lung carcinogens, but the quantitative exposure-response relationship is less clear. To clarify this relationship we conducted a review and meta-analysis of published reports of occupational epidemiologic studies. Thirty-nine cohorts were included. The average estimated unit relative risk (URR) at 100 Mu g/m (superscript)3(/superscript) years benzo[a]pyrene was 1.20 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.11-1.29] and was not sensitive to particular studies or analytic methods. However, the URR varied by industry. The estimated means in coke ovens, gasworks, and aluminum production works were similar (1.15-1.17). Average URRs in other industries were higher but imprecisely estimated, with those for asphalt (17.5; CI, 4.21-72.78) and chimney sweeps (16.2; CI, 1.64-160.7) significantly higher than the three above. There was no statistically significant variation of URRs within industry or in relation to study design (including whether adjusted for smoking), or source of exposure information. Limited information on total dust exposure did not suggest that dust exposure was an important confounder or modified the effect. These results provide a more secure basis for risk assessment than was previously available.

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Metadata

Authors
Armstrong, B., Hutchinson, E., Unwin, J., & Fletcher, T.
Venue
Environmental Health Perspectives
Publisher
American Chemical Society (ACS)
Published
2004-06
Volume
112
Issue
9
Pages
970-978
ISSN
  • 0091-6765 (ISSN-L)
  • 1552-9924
DOI
10.1289/ehp.6895
OpenAlex
W2137876021
Cited by
647
References
0
FWCI
10.80
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
gold
Licence
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (vor, 5014 d)

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Lung Cancer Risk after Exposure to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons: A Review and Meta-Analysis. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1289/ehp.6895
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Armstrong, B., Hutchinson, E., Unwin, J., & Fletcher, T. (2004). Lung Cancer Risk after Exposure to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons: A Review and Meta-Analysis. Environmental Health Perspectives. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.6895

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