Exposure to Solvents and Risks for Non-Hodgkinʹs Lymphoma in Connecticut Women

Purpose To examine the association between exposure to solvents and risk of Non-Hodgkinʹs lymphoma (NHL) in Connecticut women. Methods Instead of using occupation or industry titles as surrogate measurements for the exposures of interest, we evaluated the associations using a job-exposure matrix developed by NCI, which allows for semi-quantitative measurements of the association between occupational exposure and NHL risk. Results An increased risk of NHL was found to be associated with occupational exposure to organic solvents (OR =1.3, 95 CI, 1.0, 1.6), formaldehyde (OR=1.3, 95% CI, 1.0, 1.7), chlorinated solvents (OR=1.4, 95% CI, 1.1, 1.8), and carbon tetrachloride (OR=2.4, 95% CI, 1.4, 4.3). A dose-response relationship based on exposure intensity levels was observed for exposure to organic solvents, chlorinated solvents, and carbon tetrachloride. Analyses by NHL subtype showed a similar risk pattern for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma as observed for overall NHL. We found no increased risk associated with benzene exposure. Conclusion In summary, the results from this study suggest an association between occupational exposure to organic solvents and an increased risk of NHL among women.