Chemical exposures and cancer incidence in Norwegian offshore oil industry workers

Epidemiological studies have shown associations between work in the oil related industry and a variety of adverse health outcomes. Less knowledge is ,however, available on health effects among workers on installations. The few reports that exist indicate an excess of certain diseases among oil and gas production workers, of which an excess of leukemia and cancer in pleura has been a quite consistent finding. The proposed project will explore the relationship between chemical exposures and cancer risk in the work environment at installations on the Norwegian continental shelf. The objective is to explore associations between exposures to known and suspected carcinogenic agents and specific cancer outcomes. The design is a follow-up study and case-contro l studies within the Offshore Cohort comprising 28 000 former and present offshore workers who responded to a questionnaire, in addition to a validation study of a original list of 61 000 potential offshore workers. Based on prospectively collected questi onnaire data we will be able to adjust for potential confounders, such as work outside the offshore industry, lifestyle and leisure time exposures. Detailed information on type and time of employment, will be used in combination with a job exposure matrix . The analysis will describe the overall cancer pattern in the Cohort, with focus on specific exposures and cancer outcomes, showing increased risk in our cohort. The proposed project will provide a better understanding of some of the risks associated w ith chemical exposure in the offshore oil industry. The results can lead to implementation of risk-reducing measures which can help prevent serious health effects from working offshore in the future.