LETTER

Will sewage workers with endotoxin related symptoms have the benefit of reduced lung cancer?

J H Lange¹, G Mastrangelo², K W Thomulka³

¹ Envirosafe Training and Consultants, Inc., PO Box 114022, Pittsburgh, PA 15239, USA; john.pam.lange@worldnet.att.net
² Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Section of Occupational Health, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani, 2-35128 Padova, Italy
³ University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, 600 South 43rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA

Keywords: sewage worker; endotoxin; lung cancer

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Thorn and colleagues¹ reported that sewage workers suffer from various symptoms which can be related to bacterial endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide) exposure. Other studies^2–5 have shown that some members of this occupational group are commonly exposed to endotoxin. However, there appears to be a large discrepancy in endotoxin exposure among those categorised within this group.² Endotoxin exposure to some of these workers appears to be sufficient to induce a respiratory response characteristically associated with endotoxin.² Workers that have the highest exposure in sewage treatment are suggested to be associated with the waste treatment process.³ Professor Rylander pointed out that endotoxin exposure to this occupational group is low overall (personal communication with Professor Rylander). Rapiti and colleagues⁶ suggested that the lack of an increased lung cancer rate in one study⁷ and reduced risk of lung cancer in another⁸ for sewage workers may be related to endotoxins in their occupational environment as was originally . . . [Full text of this article]

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