A less detailed job axis in a quantitative job-exposure matrix results in a similar exposure-response association

Johan Ohlander; Susan Peters; Hans Kromhout

doi:10.1136/oemed-2024-109702

A less detailed job axis in a quantitative job-exposure matrix results in a similar exposure-response association

Johan Ohlander^*, Susan Peters, Hans Kromhout

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Quantitative job-exposure matrices (JEMs) have been developed to assign exposure using International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO)-68 coded job information. For extended compatibility with the less detailed ISCO-88 coding, a quantitative JEM using the same underlying model was developed. We compared exposure-response relationships between cumulative respirable crystalline silica (RCS) and lung cancer risk using a quantitative JEM based on ISCO-88 (88-JEM) and ISCO-68 (68-JEM).

METHODS: Based on a common set of approximately 15 000 RCS measurements, job-specific, region-specific and time-specific exposure levels were estimated for the 88-JEM and the 68-JEM and linked to participants' job histories. Exposure-response relationships in an international lung cancer case-control study were analysed by logistic regression and generalised additive models.

RESULTS: The 88-JEM and the 68-JEM yielded similar RCS-lung cancer associations, with elevated lung cancer risks across each cumulative exposure quartile. The 88-JEM exhibited a minor not statistically significant upward bend in the exposure-response curve at higher exposures.

CONCLUSION: To accurately detect associations between disease risk and occupational exposure, quantitative JEMs can be applied in community-based studies that provide job histories in either ISCO-88 or ISCO-68.

Original language	English
Article number	oemed-2024-109702
Number of pages	4
Journal	Occupational and Environmental Medicine
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2024-109702
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 23 Mar 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2025. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ Group.

Funding

The current analyses of the SYNERGY data received no funding or grants. The SYNERGY project was funded by the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV), and coordinated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the DGUV, Institute of the Ruhr- University Bochum (IPA) and the Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences at Utrecht University (IRAS). The original studies were funded by a list of agencies including: Canadian Inst Health Research and Guzzo- SRC Chair in Environment and Cancer; the Canadian Cancer Society and the Occupational Cancer Research Ctr of Ontario; the French agencies ANSES, ANR, ARC, INCA, FRM, InVS, DGT, and the Fondation de France; the German Federal Ministry of Education, Science, Research, and Technology and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs; EC's INCO- COPERNICUS program; Polish State Committee for Scient. Research; Roy Castle Foundation; NIH/ NCI/ DCEG Intramural Research Program, Lombardy Region, INAIL and the European Union Nuclear Fission Safety Program, Italian Ass. Cancer Research, Region Piedmont, Compagnia di San Paolo; Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare & Sports, Nat. Inst. of Public Health & the Env., Europe Against Cancer Progr; In Spain the Inst. Univ. de Oncol. Univ. de Oviedo. Asturias, the Fondo de Investig. Sanitaria. FIS and the Ciber de Epidemiologia y Salud Publica. CIBERESP; the Swedish Council for Work Life Research and the Swedish EPA.

Funders	Funder number
German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV)
Canadian Inst Health Research and Guzzo- SRC Chair in Environment and Cancer
Canadian Cancer Society
Occupational Cancer Research Ctr of Ontario
French agencies ANSES, ANR, ARC, INCA, FRM, InVS, DGT
Fondation de France
German Federal Ministry of Education, Science, Research, and Technology
Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs
EC's INCO- COPERNICUS program
Polish State Committee for Scient. Research
Roy Castle Foundation
NIH/ NCI/ DCEG Intramural Research Program
Lombardy Region
INAIL
European Union
Nuclear Fission Safety Program
Italian Ass. Cancer Research
Region Piedmont
Compagnia di San Paolo
Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare Sports
Nat. Inst. of Public Health the Env
Europe Against Cancer Progr
In Spain the Inst. Univ. de Oncol. Univ. de Oviedo. Asturias
Fondo de Investig. Sanitaria. FIS
Ciber de Epidemiologia y Salud Publica. CIBERESP
Swedish Council for Work Life Research
Swedish EPA

Keywords

Epidemiology
Lung Diseases, Interstitial
Materials, exposures or occupational groups
Risk assessment
Silicosis

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1136/oemed-2024-109702Licence: CC BY-NC

Cite this

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abstract = "INTRODUCTION: Quantitative job-exposure matrices (JEMs) have been developed to assign exposure using International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO)-68 coded job information. For extended compatibility with the less detailed ISCO-88 coding, a quantitative JEM using the same underlying model was developed. We compared exposure-response relationships between cumulative respirable crystalline silica (RCS) and lung cancer risk using a quantitative JEM based on ISCO-88 (88-JEM) and ISCO-68 (68-JEM).METHODS: Based on a common set of approximately 15 000 RCS measurements, job-specific, region-specific and time-specific exposure levels were estimated for the 88-JEM and the 68-JEM and linked to participants' job histories. Exposure-response relationships in an international lung cancer case-control study were analysed by logistic regression and generalised additive models.RESULTS: The 88-JEM and the 68-JEM yielded similar RCS-lung cancer associations, with elevated lung cancer risks across each cumulative exposure quartile. The 88-JEM exhibited a minor not statistically significant upward bend in the exposure-response curve at higher exposures.CONCLUSION: To accurately detect associations between disease risk and occupational exposure, quantitative JEMs can be applied in community-based studies that provide job histories in either ISCO-88 or ISCO-68.",

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author = "Johan Ohlander and Susan Peters and Hans Kromhout",

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AU - Kromhout, Hans

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N2 - INTRODUCTION: Quantitative job-exposure matrices (JEMs) have been developed to assign exposure using International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO)-68 coded job information. For extended compatibility with the less detailed ISCO-88 coding, a quantitative JEM using the same underlying model was developed. We compared exposure-response relationships between cumulative respirable crystalline silica (RCS) and lung cancer risk using a quantitative JEM based on ISCO-88 (88-JEM) and ISCO-68 (68-JEM).METHODS: Based on a common set of approximately 15 000 RCS measurements, job-specific, region-specific and time-specific exposure levels were estimated for the 88-JEM and the 68-JEM and linked to participants' job histories. Exposure-response relationships in an international lung cancer case-control study were analysed by logistic regression and generalised additive models.RESULTS: The 88-JEM and the 68-JEM yielded similar RCS-lung cancer associations, with elevated lung cancer risks across each cumulative exposure quartile. The 88-JEM exhibited a minor not statistically significant upward bend in the exposure-response curve at higher exposures.CONCLUSION: To accurately detect associations between disease risk and occupational exposure, quantitative JEMs can be applied in community-based studies that provide job histories in either ISCO-88 or ISCO-68.

AB - INTRODUCTION: Quantitative job-exposure matrices (JEMs) have been developed to assign exposure using International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO)-68 coded job information. For extended compatibility with the less detailed ISCO-88 coding, a quantitative JEM using the same underlying model was developed. We compared exposure-response relationships between cumulative respirable crystalline silica (RCS) and lung cancer risk using a quantitative JEM based on ISCO-88 (88-JEM) and ISCO-68 (68-JEM).METHODS: Based on a common set of approximately 15 000 RCS measurements, job-specific, region-specific and time-specific exposure levels were estimated for the 88-JEM and the 68-JEM and linked to participants' job histories. Exposure-response relationships in an international lung cancer case-control study were analysed by logistic regression and generalised additive models.RESULTS: The 88-JEM and the 68-JEM yielded similar RCS-lung cancer associations, with elevated lung cancer risks across each cumulative exposure quartile. The 88-JEM exhibited a minor not statistically significant upward bend in the exposure-response curve at higher exposures.CONCLUSION: To accurately detect associations between disease risk and occupational exposure, quantitative JEMs can be applied in community-based studies that provide job histories in either ISCO-88 or ISCO-68.

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A less detailed job axis in a quantitative job-exposure matrix results in a similar exposure-response association

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

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