Table 4 Cohort studies of formaldehyde exposures and nasopharyngeal cancer

Hauptmann et al.(2004), USA [19]

The cohort with 10 plants of manufacture of or using formaldehyde by the National Cancer Institute from 1966 to 1994; Standardized mortality (25,619 workers; 22,493 men, 3126 women) and Relative risks

Duration; quantitative estimates of cumulative, average and highest peak exposure

8 death, SMR 2.10 (1.05–4.21)

Peak exposure (ppm)

≥4.0 RR 1.83 (p-trend < 0.001)

Cumulative exposure (ppm-year)

1.5–< 5.5 RR 1.19,

≥5.5 RR 4.14 (p-trend = 0.025)

Freeman et al. (2013), USA [20]

Update of Hauptmann et al.(2004), 1966–2004

Duration; quantitative estimates of cumulative, average and highest peak exposure

9 death, SMR 1.84 (0.84–3.49);

Peak Exposure (ppm)

≥4.0 RR 7.66 (0.94–62.34) (p-trend = 0.005)

Marsh et al. (2005), USA [21]

Computed SMRs and RRs for each of 10 study plants and by plant group (Plant 1 (n = 4261) vs. Plants 2–10 (n = 21,358)).

1966–1994

Duration; quantitative estimates of cumulative, average and highest peak exposure

Plant 1

6 deaths, SMR 10.32 (3.79–22.47)

plant 2–10

2 deaths, SMR 0.65 (0.08–2.33)

Coggon et al. (2003), UK [23]

Chemical factories that used or produced Formaldehyde; Standardized mortality (14,014 men); 1941–2000

Level of exposure (background, low, moderate, high); among highly exposed, time period and duration of exposure

One death from nasopharyngeal cancer (2.0 expected)

Coggon et al. (2014), UK [24]

Update of Coggon et al., (2003). (14,008 men); 1941–2012

Level of exposure (background, low, moderate, high); among highly exposed, time period and duration of exposure

One death from nasopharyngeal cancer (1.7 expected)

Pinkerton et al. (2004), USA [25]

Garment industry; Standardized mortality (11,039 workers; 2015 men, 9024 women)

Duration, time since first exposure, year of first exposure

No death from nasopharyngeal cancer (0.96 expected)

Meyers et al. (2013), USA [26]

Garment industry; Standardized mortality (11,039 workers; 2015 men, 9024 women)

Duration, time since first exposure, year of first exposure

No death from nasopharyngeal cancer (0.96 expected)

Siew et al. (2012), Finland [27]

All Finnish men born between 1906 and 1945 and employed during 1970, Finnish Cancer Registry for cases of cancers of nasopharynx (n = 149) (n = 30,317). 1971–1995.

Estimation of exposure by Finnish Job Exposure Matrix

Any exposure to formaldehyde

RR 0.87 (0.34–2.20)

Any exposure to wood dust

RR 0.66 (0.30–1.45)

Pira et al. (2012), Italia [28]

Workers of a laminated plastic factory in Piedmont, northern Italy. 2750 subjects (2227 men and 523 women) between 1947 and 2011, for at least 180 days. SMRs

None

No nasopharyngeal cancer was confirmed.