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ates for the 1968 U.S. male population. Statistically significantly elevated SMRs were found for
stomach cancer (171) and lymphatic and hematopoietic cancers (136). Other solvents and monomers
to which these workers were exposed included styrene, benzene, and toluene. Work for five years or
more in the synthetic plant was associated with significantly elevated risk ratios for lymphatic and
hematopoietic neoplasms (6.2), lymphatic leukemia (3.9), and stomach cancer (2.2).
Andjelkovich et al. (1976, 1977) reported the mortality experience of 8,418 white male workers in a
large rubber manufacturing plant, also in Akron, Ohio. The cohort was initially divided into two age
groups, those under 65 and those 65 or older. SMRs were elevated (but not necessarily significantly) in
both age groups in both cohorts for cancers of the stomach, large intestine, and prostate as well as for
lymphosarcoma. The SMR for monocytic leukemia (311) was significantly elevated for this entire
cohort.
Another cohort of 13,570 white males who had worked for ≥ 5 years in a Goodrich plant in Akron,
Ohio was examined for mortality outcome from 1940-1976 (Monson and Fine, 1978). External
comparisons (SMR) of mortality, based on U.S. white males, and internal comparisons of incidence
were performed in this study. Leukemia and lymphatic cancers were elevated in a number of job
categories as was the incidence of gastrointestinal cancer. Solvents were suggested by the authors to
have been responsible for the increased incidences; the elevation cannot be specifically attributed to
butadiene.
In an investigation of the health effects of styrene exposure, Ott et al. (1980) studied 2,904 employees
of Dow Chemical plants who had worked for at least one year over the years from 1937 to 1970.
SMRs for leukemia (176) and for lymphatic and hematopoietic neoplasms (132) were elevated but not
significantly. Therefore, as with the previous studies (McMichael et al., 1976; Andjelkovich et al.,
1976, 1977; Monson and Fine, 1978), this report is suggestive of an increase in incidence of lymphatic
and hematopoietic cancers in a cohort associated with multiple types of chemical exposures. The
increase cannot be definitely attributed to butadiene exposure.
White male workers who had been employed for at least six months in two SBR plants in eastern Texas
were studied for an excess of leukemia (Meinhardt et al., 1982) and an attempt was made to correlate
the results to occupational chemical exposures. There were 1,662 study subjects in plant A and 1,094
in plant B. Workers were followed from 1943-1976 at plant A from 1950-1976 at plant B. There
were no significantly elevated SMRs observed from workers in plant B. In plant A, SMRs were
elevated but not significantly for lymphatic and hematopoietic neoplasms (155) and for several
subcategories within that classification including leukemia (203).
Divine (1990) found a significantly elevated SMR for lymphosarcoma among 2,582 workers in a
butadiene manufacturing facility. The SMR for lymphosarcoma was even higher in those with routine
exposure to butadiene. Matanoski et al. (1990) observed an excess of leukemia and lymphatic and
hematopoietic cancers in black production workers and an elevated SMR for residual cancers of the
lymphohematopoietic system for all production workers in several styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR)
plants in the U.S. and Canada. Presumably, in SBR plants, production workers had the highest
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