Abstract

The data presented in this paper show statistically significant dose response relations between cumulative exposure to benzene (ppm-months) and mortality from both all lymphopoietic cancer combined and leukaemia. Chemical workers with a cumulative exposure to benzene of at least 720 ppm-months experienced a relative risk of 3.93 for lymphatic and haematopoietic cancer when compared with workers with no occupational exposure. The dose response relation between cumulative exposure and non-Hodgkin's lymphopoietic cancer was of borderline statistical significance (p = 0.06). No dose response relation was detected for any other causes of death.