Tobacco smoking, occupational exposure and bladder cancer in Argentina

The highest rate for bladder cancer in Latin America has been reported from La Plata, Argentina. A case‐control study was carried out to investigate the reasons for this high rate. A total of 117 cases, 117 hospital controls and 117 neighbourhood sex‐ and age‐matched controls were interviewed regarding their smoking and drinking habits and occupational exposures. Cigarette smoking and coffee drinking were identified as the major risk factors, and a significant association was also found for truck and railway drivers and for oil refinery workers. The relative risks for male smokers who ever smoked cigarettes vs. non‐smokers was 4.3 (95% Cl: 1.9–10.3). The risk associated with black tobacco cigarettes was 2–3 times higher than that of blond cigarettes. For male ex‐smokers the risk after 5 years of no smoking is less than one third of that of current smokers. The RR for drinking coffee was 2.4 (95% Cl: 1.4–4.4) after adjusting for the effects of tobacco smoking, and the risk increased with the number of cups per day. No association was found with the use of saccharine.