Lesley Richardson

Publications of Lesley Richardson

• Comparison of exposure estimates in the Finnish job-exposure matrix FINJEM with a JEM derived from expert assessments performed in Montreal.

  Authors: Jérôme Lavoué, Javier Pintos, Martie Van Tongeren, Laurel Kincl, Lesley Richardson, T Kauppinen, Elisabeth Cardis, Jack Siemiatycki

  Occupational and environmental medicine. 04/2012;

  ContextRetrospective exposure assessment in population-based case-control studies poses a major challenge due to the wide range of occupations and industries involved. The FINJEM is a genericContextRetrospective exposure assessment in population-based case-control studies poses a major challenge due to the wide range of occupations and industries involved. The FINJEM is a generic job-exposure matrix (JEM) developed in Finland, which represents a potentially cost-effective exposure assessment tool. While FINJEM has been used in several studies outside Finland, little is known of its applicability in other countries.MethodsWe compared prevalence and intensity of exposure in FINJEM with a JEM developed from expert assessments of occupational histories obtained in a population-based case-control study in Montreal. Agreement for prevalence of exposure was measured by weighted κ coefficients between prevalence categories. Agreement for exposure intensity was measured by Spearman correlation coefficients between cells with non-null exposure.ResultsThe comparison involved 27 chemicals, the time period 1945-1995 and included 4743 jobs initially assessed by the Montreal experts. 4293 combinations of agent, occupational title and period were available for comparison of prevalence. Agent-specific prevalence was consistently higher in the Montreal JEM (median difference 1.7%). Agent-specific κ values between prevalence categories varied from 0.89 (welding fumes) to 0.07 (flour dust). The comparison of exposure levels involved 14 agents and 198 cells with non-null exposure in both sources. Agent-specific Spearman correlation varied from 0.89 (flour dust) to -0.35 (benzo(a)pyrene).ConclusionOur observations suggest that information concerning several agents (eg, metals, welding fumes) can be successfully transported from Finland to Canada and probably other countries. However, for other agents, there was considerable disagreement, and hence, transportability of FINJEM cannot be assumed by default.

• Exposures in painting-related occupations and risk of lung cancer among men: results from two case-control studies in Montreal.

  Authors: Agnihotram V Ramanakumar, Marie-Élise Parent, Lesley Richardson, Jack Siemiatycki

  Occupational and environmental medicine. 01/2011; 68(1):44-51.

  Evidence that painters may be at risk for lung cancer comes mainly from analyses on job titles rather than on specific exposures found in the environments of painters. In the context of two largeEvidence that painters may be at risk for lung cancer comes mainly from analyses on job titles rather than on specific exposures found in the environments of painters. In the context of two large population-based case-control studies of lung cancer carried out in Montreal, we were able to assess possible relationships between lung cancer and the occupation of painter as well as exposure to paints, varnishes and stains. Interviews for study I were conducted in 1979-1986 (857 cases, 533 population controls, 1349 cancer controls) and interviews for study II were conducted in 1996-2001 (765 cases and 899 controls). Detailed lifetime job histories were elicited; a team of hygienists and chemists evaluated the evidence of exposure to many occupational substances including paint-related substances. The relative risk of lung cancer was estimated, adjusting for several potential confounders, including smoking, in a three-variable parameterisation. In analyses pooling the two studies, painters had an OR of lung cancer of 1.3 (95% CI 0.9 to 2.2). Regarding exposures, ORs were: for wood varnishes and stains, 1.6 (95% CI 1.0 to 2.3); for wood and gypsum paints, 1.3 (95% CI 0.9 to 1.7); and for metal coatings, 1.1 (95% CI 0.8 to 1.6). Small numbers hampered evaluation of dose-response relationships. While our results cannot exclude chance or residual confounding by smoking or concomitant occupational exposures, they provide further evidence that some exposures in paint-related occupations, most notably wood varnishes and stains, increase the risk of lung cancer.

• Can loud noise cause acoustic neuroma? Analysis of the INTERPHONE study in France.

  Authors: Martine Hours, Marlene Bernard, Marie T Arslan, Lucile Montestrucq, Lesley Richardson, Isabelle Deltour, Elisabeth Cardis

  Occupational and environmental medicine. 04/2009;

  OBJECTIVES: To investigate possible associations between risk of acoustic neuroma and exposure to loud noise in leisure and occupational settings. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted inOBJECTIVES: To investigate possible associations between risk of acoustic neuroma and exposure to loud noise in leisure and occupational settings. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted in France within the international INTERPHONE study. The cases were the 108 subjects diagnosed with acoustic neuroma between June 1st 2000 and August 31st 2003. Two controls per case were selected from the electoral rolls and individually matched for gender, age (+/- 5 years) and area (local authority district) of residence at the time of the case diagnosis. Multivariate analyses were conducted using conditional logistic regression. Adjustment was made for socio-economic status. RESULTS: Acoustic neuroma was found to be associated with loud noise exposure [Odds-Ratio (OR) = 2.55; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 1.35-4.82], both in leisure settings, particularly when listening to loud music [OR = 3.88; 95% CI = 1.48-10.17] and at work [OR = 2.26; 95% CI = 1.08-4.72]. This risk increased with exposure duration (> 6 years leisure exposure: OR = 3.15; 95% CI = 1.07-9.24). Risk varied according to the type of noise (continuous or explosive, versus intermittent). CONCLUSION: The present results agree with other recent reports implicating loud noise in the risk of acoustic neuroma.

• Quantifying the Impact of Selection Bias Caused by Nonparticipation in a Case-Control Study of Mobile Phone Use.

  Authors: Martine Vrijheid, Lesley Richardson, Bruce K Armstrong, Anssi Auvinen, Gabriele Berg, Matthew Carroll, Angela Chetrit, Isabelle Deltour, Maria Feychting, Graham G Giles [......] Siegal Sadetzki, Tina Salminen, Marie Sanchez, Birgitte Schlehofer, Joachim Schüz, Jack Siemiatycki, Tore Tynes, Alistair Woodward, Naohito Yamaguchi, Elisabeth Cardis

  Annals of epidemiology. 02/2009; 19(1):33-41.e1.

  PURPOSE: To quantitatively assess the impact of selection bias caused by nonparticipation in a multinational case-control study of mobile phone use and brain tumor. METHODS: Non-responsePURPOSE: To quantitatively assess the impact of selection bias caused by nonparticipation in a multinational case-control study of mobile phone use and brain tumor. METHODS: Non-response questionnaires (NRQ) were completed by a sub-set of nonparticipants. Selection bias factors were calculated based on the prevalence of mobile phone use reported by nonparticipants with NRQ data, and on scenarios of hypothetical exposure prevalence for other nonparticipants. RESULTS: Regular mobile phone use was reported less frequently by controls and cases who completed the NRQ (controls, 56%; cases, 50%) than by those who completed the full interview (controls, 69%; cases, 66%). This relationship was consistent across study centers, sex, and age groups. Lower education and more recent start of mobile phone use were associated with refusal to participate. Bias factors varied between 0.87 and 0.92 in the most plausible scenarios. CONCLUSIONS: Refusal to participate in brain tumor case-control studies seems to be related to less prevalent use of mobile phones, and this could result in a downward bias of around 10% in odds ratios for regular mobile phone use. The use of simple selection bias estimation methods in case-control studies can give important insights into the extent of any bias, even when nonparticipant information is incomplete.

• Recall bias in the assessment of exposure to mobile phones.

  Authors: Martine Vrijheid, Bruce K Armstrong, Daniel Bédard, Julianne Brown, Isabelle Deltour, Ivano Iavarone, Daniel Krewski, Susanna Lagorio, Stephen Moore, Lesley Richardson, Graham G Giles, Mary McBride, Marie-Elise Parent, Jack Siemiatycki, Elisabeth Cardis

  Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology. 06/2008;

  Most studies of mobile phone use are case-control studies that rely on participants' reports of past phone use for their exposure assessment. Differential errors in recalled phone use are a majorMost studies of mobile phone use are case-control studies that rely on participants' reports of past phone use for their exposure assessment. Differential errors in recalled phone use are a major concern in such studies. INTERPHONE, a multinational case-control study of brain tumour risk and mobile phone use, included validation studies to quantify such errors and evaluate the potential for recall bias. Mobile phone records of 212 cases and 296 controls were collected from network operators in three INTERPHONE countries over an average of 2 years, and compared with mobile phone use reported at interview. The ratio of reported to recorded phone use was analysed as measure of agreement. Mean ratios were virtually the same for cases and controls: both underestimated number of calls by a factor of 0.81 and overestimated call duration by a factor of 1.4. For cases, but not controls, ratios increased with increasing time before the interview; however, these trends were based on few subjects with long-term data. Ratios increased by level of use. Random recall errors were large. In conclusion, there was little evidence for differential recall errors overall or in recent time periods. However, apparent overestimation by cases in more distant time periods could cause positive bias in estimates of disease risk associated with mobile phone use.Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology advance online publication, 21 May 2008; doi:10.1038/jes.2008.27.

• The INTERPHONE study: design, epidemiological methods, and description of the study population.

  Authors: Elisabeth Cardis, Lesley Richardson, Isabelle Deltour, Bruce Armstrong, Maria Feychting, Christoffer Johansen, Monique Kilkenny, Patricia McKinney, Baruch Modan, Siegal Sadetzki [......] Brigitte Schlehofer, Jack Siemiatycki, Masao Taki, Toru Takebayashi, Tore Tynes, Martie van Tongeren, Paolo Vecchia, Joe Wiart, Alistair Woodward, Naohito Yamaguchi

  European journal of epidemiology. 02/2007; 22(9):647-64.

  The very rapid worldwide increase in mobile phone use in the last decade has generated considerable interest in the possible health effects of exposure to radio frequency (RF) fields. A multinationalThe very rapid worldwide increase in mobile phone use in the last decade has generated considerable interest in the possible health effects of exposure to radio frequency (RF) fields. A multinational case-control study, INTERPHONE, was set-up to investigate whether mobile phone use increases the risk of cancer and, more specifically, whether the RF fields emitted by mobile phones are carcinogenic. The study focused on tumours arising in the tissues most exposed to RF fields from mobile phones: glioma, meningioma, acoustic neurinoma and parotid gland tumours. In addition to a detailed history of mobile phone use, information was collected on a number of known and potential risk factors for these tumours. The study was conducted in 13 countries. Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and the UK using a common core protocol. This paper describes the study design and methods and the main characteristics of the study population. INTERPHONE is the largest case-control study to date investigating risks related to mobile phone use and to other potential risk factors for the tumours of interest and includes 2,765 glioma, 2,425 meningioma, 1,121 acoustic neurinoma, 109 malignant parotid gland tumour cases and 7,658 controls. Particular attention was paid to estimating the amount and direction of potential recall and participation biases and their impact on the study results.

• Listing occupational carcinogens.

  Authors: Jack Siemiatycki, Lesley Richardson, Kurt Straif, Benoit Latreille, Ramzan Lakhani, SALLY CAMPBELL, Marie-Claude Rousseau, Paolo Boffetta

  Environmental health perspectives. 12/2004; 112(15):1447-59.

  The occupational environment has been a most fruitful one for investigating the etiology of human cancer. Many recognized human carcinogens are occupational carcinogens. There is a large volume ofThe occupational environment has been a most fruitful one for investigating the etiology of human cancer. Many recognized human carcinogens are occupational carcinogens. There is a large volume of epidemiologic and experimental data concerning cancer risks in different work environments. It is important to synthesize this information for both scientific and public health purposes. Various organizations and individuals have published lists of occupational carcinogens. However, such lists have been limited by unclear criteria for which recognized carcinogens should be considered occupational carcinogens, and by inconsistent and incomplete information on the occupations and industries in which the carcinogenic substances may be found and on their target sites of cancer. Based largely on the evaluations published by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and augmented with additional information, the present article represents an attempt to summarize, in tabular form, current knowledge on occupational carcinogens, the occupations and industries in which they are found, and their target organs. We have considered 28 agents as definite occupational carcinogens, 27 agents as probable occupational carcinogens, and 113 agents as possible occupational carcinogens. These tables should be useful for regulatory or preventive purposes and for scientific purposes in research priority setting and in understanding carcinogenesis.

• Occupational exposures to extremely low frequency magnetic fields and postmenopausal breast cancer.

  Authors: France Labrèche, Mark S Goldberg, Marie-France Valois, Louise Nadon, Lesley Richardson, Ramzan Lakhani, Benoit Latreille

  American journal of industrial medicine. 12/2003; 44(6):643-52.

  BACKGROUND: The association between occupational exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) and risk of postmenopausal breast cancer was assessed in a case-control study. METHODS:BACKGROUND: The association between occupational exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) and risk of postmenopausal breast cancer was assessed in a case-control study. METHODS: Breast cancer cases were compared to cancer controls. Interviewers elicited information on risk factors and on lifetime work history. Industrial hygienists assigned to each job average duration of exposure to ELF-MF at four levels of intensities ("none," <0.2 microT; "low," 0.2-<0.5microT; "medium," 0.5-<1microT; "high," > or =1-10microT). Unconditional logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). RESULTS: A total number of 608 cases and 667 controls participated. Adjusting for accepted breast cancer risk factors, we found an OR of 1.13 for lifetime occupational exposure to ELF-MF at medium or high intensities. Risks were larger for exposures before age 35 (OR = 1.40), and statistically significant for exposures before 35 among cases with progesterone receptor positive tumors (OR = 1.56, 95% CI=1.02-2.39). CONCLUSIONS: There appears to be a small increased risk for breast cancer among postmenopausal women exposed occupationally to ELF-MF.

• Statut socio-économique et utilisation des services de santé à Montréal

  Authors: Jack Siemiatycki, Lesley Richardson

  Société Canadienne de Science Economique, L'Actualité Economique. 01/1980; 56(2):194-210.

  National health insurance was implemented in Quebec in late 1970. Previously reported surveys carried out in Montreal in 1969-70 and 1971-72 showed that while there was no change in overall volume ofNational health insurance was implemented in Quebec in late 1970. Previously reported surveys carried out in Montreal in 1969-70 and 1971-72 showed that while there was no change in overall volume of services, there was a redistribution, with increases among the poor and decreases among the wealthy. We conducted a survey in late 1974 to determine the "steady-state" impact of l’assurance-maladie on social class differences in health care utilization. In a socially heterogeneous area of Montreal 1,559 households were surveyed. When reported morbidity status was taken into account, physician visit rates in the past two weeks were 21.6 per cent, 20.2 per cent, and 20.4 per cent in low, middle and high economic classes respectively, confirming the disparity of access has been reduced. However, relative to the non-poor, the poor still made considerable use of hospital clinics and emergency rooms for primary care and more of their visits entailed prescriptions and physician-initiated requests to return. The latter may indicate that the poor still consult the doctor for more advanced conditions than the non-poor. There is no evidence of abuse of "free" medical care by the poor. In contrast to the equalization in use of physician services, dental services are still unequally distributed, although compared with the 1969-70 and 1971-72 surveys, utilization rates were higher in 1974 in all social classes. The overall increase in per capita physician visits was confirmed by statistics of the Régie de l’assurance-maladie du Québec. A parallel increase in the supply of physicians kept the workload of the average physician at a constant level.