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Objectives: To investigate the risk of lymphatic and haematopoietic malignancies in deck crew on tankers exposed to cargo vapours., Methods: The study design was as a nested case-referent study in two cohorts of male Swedish seamen 20-64 years of age at the national census 1960 (n 13,449) and 1970 (n 11,290), respectively. Cases were detected by record linkage with the Swedish Cancer Register 1961-79 and 1971-87, respectively. For each case, three to five age matched referents from the population were selected. Exposure was assessed from data in the Swedish Registry of Seamen and from a register of Swedish ships., Results: Seamen in the 1970 cohort, who had been exposed to cargo vapours for at least one month on chemical or product tankers, had an increased risk of lymphatic and haematopoietic malignancies (Mantel-Haenszel odds ratio (OR) 2.6, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.1 to 5.9)) with a significant exposure-response relation (conditional logistic regression analysis, p = 0.04). The ORs were increased for both lymphoma (3.2), multiple myeloma (4.0), and leukaemia (1.6), but the increase was only significant for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (OR 3.3, 95% CI 1.1 to 10.6). There were no significantly increased risks for the 1960 cohort or for seamen exposed only on crude oil tankers, but these groups had few exposed cases and low cumulative exposure to benzene and other light petroleum products., Conclusions: Seamen exposed to cargo vapours from gasoline and other light petroleum products on chemical or product tankers had an increased incidence of lymphatic and haematopoietic malignancies. One possible cause is exposure to benzene during loading, unloading, and tank cleaning operations.

Benzene is an established cause of leukemia in adults, especially acute non-lymphocytic leukemia (ANLL). A few studies have indicated that exposure to gasoline is a cause of childhood leukemia. The purpose of this study was to investigate if environmental exposure to benzene from gasoline and car exhaust was associated with leukemia in children and young adults. The exposure to gasoline and car exhaust was estimated by the number of cars per area. In this ecology study, data on the incidence of cancer in each municipality of Sweden during an 11-year period (1975-1985) were compared with the number of cars per area. Data on the incidence of cancer for persons aged 0-24 years at diagnosis were collected from the National Swedish Cancer Register. The following diagnoses were studied: non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We found an association between AML and car density. In municipalities with more than 20 cars/km2 the incidence of AML was 5.5 [95% confidence interval (CI) 4.4-6.8, n = 89] as compared with 3.4 (95% CI 1.9-5.7, n = 15) cases per 1 million person-years in municipalities with less than 5 cars/km2 (P = 0.05). No association was found for the other sites of cancer studied. The association between AML in young adults and car density might be attributable to exposure to benzene from gasoline vapors and exhaust gases, but further investigations are necessary before any definite conclusion can be drawn.

Objectives: To estimate the risk of cancer due to occupational exposure to petroleum products in the Swedish transport and refinery industries.Methods: In a retrospective cohort study the cancer incidence in 4128 men and 191 women, who had worked for at least one year in the petroleum industry, was compared with the incidence in the general population. The job titles and employment times for each person were found in personal files in the industries. The men had on average worked in jobs exposed to petroleum for 11.6 years at the end of the observation period. The cases of cancer were identified by record linkage with the Swedish cancer register.Results: In total there were 146 cases of cancer v 157.6 expected (standardised mortality ratio (SMR) 0.93 90% confidence interval (90% CI) 0.80 to 1.1). Operators at refineries had an increased risk of leukaemia (6 cases v 1.7 expected, 90% CI of relative risk (RR) 1.5 to 7.0). Five of the six cases had started to work at the refineries in the 1950s or later. No other significantly increased risk of cancer was found. Distribution workers had a decreased incidence of lung cancer (no cases, 90% CI of RR 0 to 0.4).Conclusions: Operators at Swedish refineries had an increased risk of leukaemia. A possible cause is exposure to benzene. There was no increased risk of leukaemia in distribution workers. Distribution workers had a decreased risk of lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]