TY - JOUR T1 - Cancer incidence among women flax textile manufacturing workers in Lithuania JF - Occupational and Environmental Medicine JO - Occup Environ Med SP - 500 LP - 502 DO - 10.1136/oem.2009.048058 VL - 67 IS - 7 AU - Irena Kuzmickiene AU - Mecys Stukonis Y1 - 2010/07/01 UR - http://oem.bmj.com/content/67/7/500.abstract N2 - Objective To determine site-specific cancer incidence among women spinning-weaving and dyeing-finishing workers in the largest flax textile factory in Lithuania.Method The cancer incidence of a cohort of 3447 women workers from a flax textile factory was investigated for the period 1978–2002. All subjects were employed at the plant in the period 1957–2000 for a minimum of 12 months. Standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) were estimated by use of the corresponding national rates. SIRs were calculated for the spinning-weaving and dyeing-finishing work categories, and for two durations of employment categories (<10 years, ≥10 years).Results The cancer SIRs among spinning-weaving and dyeing-finishing workers were 0.84 (95% CI 0.69 to 1.00) and 0.90 (95% CI 0.52 to 1.44). An incidence deficit for non-melanoma skin cancer was found for the spinning-weaving unit (SIR 0.45, 95% CI 0.18 to 0.92). The risk of oral cavity and pharynx cancer was significantly increased in spinning-weaving unit workers with <10 years of employment (SIR 5.71, 95% CI 1.56 to 14.60). A significant excess of thyroid cancer and nervous system cancer was found among dyeing-finishing workers.Conclusions The overall cancer and non-melanoma skin cancer incidence rate among flax spinning-weaving workers was lower compared with the Lithuanian population. The present findings lend some support to an excess of thyroid and nervous system cancers among dyeing-finishing workers and of oral cavity and pharynx cancer in spinning-weaving workers. ER -