Styrene Study

Study of Workers in the Glass-Reinforced Plastics Industry in the UK and a possible International Study

The Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM), a not-for-profit organisation based in Edinburgh, carried out an analysis of around 1,800 workers in the UK glass-reinforced plastics manufacturing industry. The workers were from around 50 different companies and worked at some time between 1961 and 1988.

What were the main results?
There was no difference in deaths overall between the workers and the general public. For all types of cancer combined, the workers had a slightly lower risk than the public.
However, the study did find a relatively small increase in lung cancer deaths, but for lung cancer cases, and the analysis was unable to adjust for tobacco smoking (the major cause of lung cancer).
The study found small increases in blood cancer deaths and cases, but these could have been chance findings.

What do these results mean for workers in the industry?
These results show findings that occupational exposure to styrene may increase the risk of certain types of cancer. However, further studies (see below) are required to confirm this. Workers should continue to comply with all relevant current health and safety legislation and good practice for work in the industry.

What was the purpose of the study?
The purpose was to help understand how working in the glass-reinforced plastics manufacturing industry was linked to risks of death and disease, in particular certain types of cancer. The study team was especially interested in how exposure to a specific chemical, known as styrene, could affect one’s health. The UK study was led by Professor Damien McElvenny at the IOM, who has studied health risks in many different groups of workers.

Who funded this research?
This study was funded by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Who reviewed the study?
The study protocol was reviewed by a National Health Service (NHS) Ethics Committee, the Health Research Authority’s Confidentiality Advisory Group, and by NHS Digital’s Independent
Group Advising on Release of Data. The results of the study were also reviewed by anonymous researchers in the field.

How was the study done?
The study team compared death and cancer rates specifically in workers with those of the general population. They examined differences in cancer and deaths starting when workers were first employed in the industry up until the year 2022. Rates were compared in people of the same age and sex, as well as whether they started working in the industry before turning 25 years old.

What will happen next?
An international study, coordinated by researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark will include over 90,000 workers from Finland, Denmark, and the US, as well as the UK. This will be
the largest study to date to assess if working with styrene has the potential to increase a person’s risk of cancer.

Publication
The study results have been published in the journal, OEM, which are available here.

If you have any further questions, please contact the study team directly at [email protected] or telephone 0131 449 8000 and ask for the Styrene Study Team.