Mortality Among Chemical Plant Workers Exposed to Acrylonitrile: 2011 Follow-Up

OBJECTIVES:To update a cohort study of chemical workers and reevaluate lung cancer mortality in relation to acrylonitrile (AN) exposure. METHODS:Subjects were 2096 workers employed during 1955 to 2011. We identified 474 deaths through 2011, and quantitatively estimated worker exposures to AN. Analyses included national and county-based standardized mortality ratios and relative risk regression of internal cohort rates. RESULTS:We found no statistically significant excess mortality risks associated with Lima employment for any cause of death category, including lung cancer and other cancer sites implicated in previous studies. CONCLUSIONS:This update provides no evidence that exposure to AN at levels experienced by Lima workers is associated with an increased risk of lung cancer mortality, as suggested in original study. Earlier reported bladder cancer risks decreased to a much lower, not statistically significant level.