Workers in the asbestos industry tend to have high smoking rates compared to
the general population. Both asbestos exposure and cigarette smoking are
recognized risk factors for lung cancer mortality, but the exact nature of the
interaction between the two remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to
examine the effect of smoking and smoking cessation among asbestos workers in
Great Britain (GB) and investigate the interaction between asbestos exposure
and smoking.

The study population consisted of 98912 asbestos workers recruited into the GB
Asbestos Survey from 1971, followed-up to December 2005. Poisson regression was
used to estimate relative risks of lung cancer mortality associated with
smoking habits of the asbestos workers and to assess whether these effects
differed within various categories of asbestos exposure.

Risk of lung cancer mortality increased with packs smoked per day, smoking
duration, and total smoke exposure (pack-years). Asbestos workers who stopped
smoking remained at increased risk of lung cancer mortality up to 40 years
after smoking cessation compared to asbestos workers who never smoked. The
effects of smoking and stopping smoking did not differ by duration of asbestos
exposure, main occupation, age at first asbestos exposure, year of first
exposure, or latency period.

More information

AplusA-online.de - Source: The Annals of Occupational Hygiene