Posted By Steve Alexander I am looking for any information or links regarding causal relationship between glioblastoma multiforme and occupational exposure. So far the possibilities are acrylonitriles, electromagnetic fields, chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons and vinyl chloride. No detail on these. Any help much appreciated.

Posted By Mark Preston From Hunter's diseases of occupations, 9th edition, 2000 (ch. 39, p 810) Occupational Cancer: Clinical and epidemiological aspects: Specific tumour sites: BRAIN "Brain tumours show a bimodal frequency distribution with a small peak in childhood and a second, larger, peak in the seventh decade. The majority of adult malignant tumours are astrocytomata or undifferentiated glioblastomata. Mortality rates are rising in developed countries but this may be, at least in part, due to improved accuracy of certification. "Occupational factors have been invoked in recent years. Reviews suggested that both professional and manual occupations had been reported to be at increased risk. These include; laboratory workers, petrochemical plant workers and embalmers. "Certain, possibly multiple, chemical exposures may be common features. These include certain organic solvents, as well as ionizing radiation. "Recent additions to this list might include lead but the greatest interest of late has centred around the possibility that electric fields or magnetic fields (or both) from residential or occupational exposure might be associated with an increased risk of brain tumours. Thorough reviews of residential exposure studies and meta-analysis of the brain cancer risks from occupational exposures have failed to resolve the issue. Studies subsequent to these reviews have not clarified this putative risk." NB I haven't given the six references in this passage - contact me off-list if you'd like them