Is nasal adenocarcinoma in the Buckinghamshire furniture industry declining?

Abstract

Since adenocarcinoma of the epithelium of the nasal cavity and accessory sinuses was recognized to occur more commonly in woodworkers in the British furniture industry than in other men^1,2 and was prescribed as an industrial disease³, it has been found to occur in the furniture industry in many other countries. Here we review the incidence of the disease in Buckinghamshire up to the end of 1981 and report that skilled furniture makers such as wood machinists and cabinet and chair makers have experienced a cumulative lifetime risk of having nasal adenocarcinoma of at least 1 in 120 during the period studied. An analysis according to birth cohorts suggests that the disease may have reached its peak in men who entered the industry in the years 1915–24 but the apparent decline in incidence in men entering thereafter is not statistically significant. We argue that the carcinogen is almost certainly present in wood dust and point to the absence of recent quantitative data about dust levels in British furniture factories.