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An innovative method to estimate lifetime prevalence of carcinogenic occupational circumstances: the example of painters and workers of the rubber manufacturing industry in France

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 31, pages 769–776 (2021)Cite this article

Abstract

Background

Existing methods to estimate lifetime exposure to occupational carcinogenic agents could be improved.

Objective

We propose a new method to estimate the lifetime prevalence of exposure to occupational carcinogens using the example of painters and workers of the rubber industry in France.

Methods

From census, we calculated the proportion of painters and rubber industry workers using predefined occupational codes related to each occupation by sex and 10-year age group in 1982, 1990, 1999, 2007, and 2013. Using a beta-regression model, we obtained the yearly prevalence of exposure by 10-year age group over the period 1967–2007. We estimated the age- and sex-specific lifetime prevalence of exposure of the population in 2017 over 1967–2007, summing up the estimated prevalence of exposure for years 1967, 1977, 1987, 1997, and 2007 combined with a sex- and age-specific turnover factor. Corresponding population-attributable fractions were estimated for lung and bladder cancers in 2017.

Results

In 2017, we estimated that 5.6 and 0.2% of men in France had ever worked as a painter or in the rubber industry, respectively, during their working time. The lifetime prevalence of ever having worked as a painter or in the rubber industry was much lower in women: 1.8% and 0.1%, respectively. We estimated that 950 lung cancer and 40 bladder cancer cases were attributable to these occupations in 2017.

Significance

Based on accurate data and taking into account evolution of specific jobs over time, the proposed method provides good estimates of lifetime prevalence of exposure to occupational carcinogens. It could be applied in any other country with similar data.

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Fig. 1: Estimation of lifetime prevalence in 2017.
Fig. 2: Prevalence of painters over time.
Fig. 3: Prevalence of workers in the rubber industry over time.

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Code availability

The analysis was performed using R software, version 5.3.2. Codes are available upon request to the corresponding author.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the team of the CONSTANCES study (Marcel Goldberg, Marie Zins, and Stephen Goldberg) for sharing the individual data of the study, which have been crucial for the innovative aspect of this manuscript.

Funding

This project is funded by the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational health and Safety (ANSES) for the project entitled “Estimation des prévalences d’exposition vie entière de la population française à des cancérogènes professionnels majeurs: une méthode innovante pour le calcul de la part de cancers attribuables aux expositions professionnelles” (Grant number: EST/2017/1/141—French National Research Program for Environmental and Occupational Health of ANSES with the support of the Cancer TMOI of the French National Alliance for Life and Health Sciences (AVIESAN)).

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Claire Marant Micallef, Adèle Paul

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Cancer Surveillance, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France

    Claire Marant Micallef, Adèle Paul, Hadrien Charvat, Jérôme Vignat & Isabelle Soerjomataram

  2. French National Public Health Agency, Santé Publique France, Saint-Maurice, France

    Marie Houot, Corinne Pilorget & Mounia El Yamani

  3. University of Lyon, Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University, IFSTTAR, UMRESTTE, UMR T_9405, Lyon, France

    Corinne Pilorget

  4. Section of Evidence Synthesis and Classification, Monographs Group (retired), International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France

    Kurt Straif

Authors
  1. Claire Marant Micallef
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Correspondence to Isabelle Soerjomataram.

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Marant Micallef, C., Paul, A., Charvat, H. et al. An innovative method to estimate lifetime prevalence of carcinogenic occupational circumstances: the example of painters and workers of the rubber manufacturing industry in France. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 31, 769–776 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-020-00272-7

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