Leukemia Incidence by Occupation and Industry: A Cohort Study of 2.3 Million Workers from Ontario, Canada

Konrad Samsel, Tanya Navaneelan, Nathan DeBono, Louis Everest, Paul A. Demers and Jeavana Sritharan ()
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Konrad Samsel: Occupational Cancer Research Centre, Ontario Health, Toronto, ON M5G 2L3, Canada
Tanya Navaneelan: Occupational Cancer Research Centre, Ontario Health, Toronto, ON M5G 2L3, Canada
Nathan DeBono: Occupational Cancer Research Centre, Ontario Health, Toronto, ON M5G 2L3, Canada
Louis Everest: Occupational Cancer Research Centre, Ontario Health, Toronto, ON M5G 2L3, Canada
Paul A. Demers: Occupational Cancer Research Centre, Ontario Health, Toronto, ON M5G 2L3, Canada
Jeavana Sritharan: Occupational Cancer Research Centre, Ontario Health, Toronto, ON M5G 2L3, Canada

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 8, 1-16

Abstract: Although a significant body of evidence has attributed certain occupational exposures with leukemia, such as benzene, formaldehyde, 1,3-butadiene and ionizing radiation, more research is needed to identify work environments at increased risk for this disease. Our study aimed to identify occupational and industry groups associated with an elevated incidence of leukemia using a diverse cohort of workers’ compensation claimants from Ontario, Canada. A total of 2,363,818 workers in the Occupational Disease Surveillance System (ODSS) cohort, with claims between 1983–2019, were followed for malignant leukemia diagnoses up to 31 December 2019. We used a Cox proportional-hazards model to estimate the relative incidence of leukemia in specific occupation and industry groups. After adjusting for age and birth year, males in protective services (HR = 1.17, 95% CI = 1.02–1.35), metal machining (HR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.07–1.41), transport (HR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.06–1.25), and mining occupations (HR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.02–1.60) had elevated risks of leukemia compared to other workers in the ODSS, with comparable findings by industry. Among female workers, slight risk elevations were observed among product fabricating, assembling, and repairing occupations, with other increased risks seen in furniture and fixture manufacturing, storage, and retail industries. These findings underscore the need for exposure-based studies to better understand occupational hazards in these settings.

Keywords: cohort; occupational cancer; surveillance; leukemia subtype; chronic lymphocytic leukemia; acute myeloid leukemia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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