|
| Exposure | Study population | Relative risk or odds ratio (95% confidence interval) | Main strengths | Main limitations | Reference |
|
| Ecological studies |
|
| 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin | Inhabitants of Seveso region | Rate ratio (heavily contaminated zone versus control zone): 2.57 (1.07–6.20) | Environmental exposure and time since exposure well documented, | Based on only five cases | [87] |
|
| Organochlorine pesticide methoxychlor | California Latinas commonly employed in agricultural operations | OR for highest quartile of county-level specific pesticide use: 118 (1.03–1.35) | Large number of cases | Poor evaluation of exposure. Incomplete correction for confounding | [88] |
| Organochlorine pesticide toxaphene | | OR for highest quartile of county-level specific pesticide use: 116 (1.01–1.34) | | | |
|
| Case-control studies |
|
| Polychlorinated biphenyls (20 congeners) |
Mexican Women, hospital based | OR for serum concentration above detection limit: 1.09 (1.01–1.14) |
Measurement of personal internal exposure. Adequate correction for confounders |
Limited number of subjects |
[50] |
| Polychlorinated biphenyl congeners 128, 138 and 170 | OR for serum concentration above detection limit: 1.90 (1.25–2.88) |
| Polychlorinated biphenyl congeners 153,180 | OR for serum concentration above detection limit: 1.81 (1.08–3.04) |
| Polychlorinated biphenyl congeners 8, 195, 206 and 209 | OR for serum concentration above detection limit: 1.57 (1.20–2.07) |
|
| Monoethyl phthalate (main diethyl phthalate metabolite) | Northern Mexico, population based | OR for highest versus lowest tertile of urinary concentration: 2.20 (1.33–3.63) | Measurement of personal internal exposure. 233 cases and 221 controls. Adequate correction for confounders | Metabolites of other phthalates were inversely associated | [89] |
|
| Total effective organohalogen xenoestrogen burden in adipose tissue |
Hospital based, Southern Spain | OR for women with BMI below the median, highest quartile versus lowest of adipose tissue concentration: (28.6 kg/m2): 2.44; (1.03–5.78); = 0.03 | Highly relevant parameter of personal internal exposure. Adequate correction for confounding. | Significant effect only in subgroup of leaner women. | [90] |
| Total effective organohalogen xenoestrogen burden in adipose tissue | Hospital based, Southern Spain | OR for postmenopausal women with BMI below the median (28.6 kg/m2), highest terile versus lowest of adipose tissue concentration: 5.6 (1.59–20.21) | Highly relevant parameter of personal internal exposure. Adequate correction for confounding | Significant effect only in subgroup of leaner women | [90] |
| Aldrin | OR for detectable adipose tissue concentration: 1.55 (1.00–2.40) | |
| Aldrin | OR among postmenopausal women for detectable adipose tissue concentration: 1.84 (1.06–3.18) | No effect observed for other organochlorine pesticides |
| Lindane | OR among postmenopausal women for detectable adipose tissue concentration: 1.76 (1.04–2.98) | |
| Dioxin | Residents near municipal solid waste incinerator. Population based | OR for women aged ≥ 60 in region with high exposure: 0.31 (0.08–0.89) | High total number of cases (434) and controls (2170). | Exposure defined by area of residence; only 4 cases in highly exposed area. No effect on younger women. Limited correction for confounding. | [91] |
| Urinary cadmium levels | Population based in Wisconsin, USA | Highest quartile of creatinine-adjusted cadmium level (≥0.58 μg/g) versus lowest quartile (<0.26 g/g) OR: 2.29 (1.3–4.2); = 0.01 | Measurement of personal internal exposure. Adequate correction for confounding | | [92] |
| Traffic emisions | Women residing in Erie and Niagara Counties, USA | Exposure at the time of menarche: OR for premenopausal breast cancer for highest quartile of exposure: 2.05 (0.92–4.54, = 0.03) | Adequate correction for confounding | Limited characterization of exposure. Limited statistical power | [93] |
| Traffic emmisions | Exposure at the time of a woman's first birth: OR for postmenopausal breast cancer for highest quartile of exposure: 2.57 (1.16–5.69, = 0.19) |
| Exposure as motor vehicle mechanics | Multicentre case-control study on male breast cancer in 8 European countries, including 104 cases and 1901 controls | OR for ever employment: 2.1, (1.0–4.4).OR for employment ≥10 years: 5.9 (2.4–14.6) | Adequate correction for confounding | Limited characterization of exposure | [94] |
| Alkylphenolic compounds | OR for exposure above median: 3.8 (1.5 to 9.5) |
|
| Cohort studies |
|
| Dieldrin | Participants in the Copenhagen City Heart Study | OR for highest quartile of serum concentration 2.05 (1.17–3.57), = 0.01 | Prospective design. Long follow-up. Adequate correction for confounding Individual internal exposure measured long before diagnosis. | Limited statistical power. No effects of other organochlorines | [95] |
| Solvents | Retrospective cohort study on 63,982 female workers in an electronics factory in Taiwan | SIR for women first employed prior to 1974: 1.38 (1.11–1.70) | Large number of subjects | Poor characterization of exposure; no correction for confounders | [96] |
| Volatile organic chemicals | 274,596 women in active duty in the US army (1980–1996) | Incidence rate ratio for medium or high potential solvent exposure: 1.48 (1.01–2.07) | Large number of subjects | Poor characterization of exposure. Poor correction for confounders | [97] |
|
| Prospective nested case control study |
|
| P,p′-DDT | Members of the Child Health and Development Cohort, Oakland, California | OR for highest tertile of serum concentration among women under age 14 in 1945: 5.4 (1.7–17.1) | Measurement of personal internal exposure. at highly relevant age. Adequate control for confounding | No effect for other DDT-related compounds | [98] |
|
