HF02-03 THE DISCOVERY OF OCCUPATIONAL BLADDER CANCER AMONG DYE WORKERS

Abstract

You have accessJournal of UrologyHistory of Urology Forum II (HF02)1 Sep 2021HF02-03 THE DISCOVERY OF OCCUPATIONAL BLADDER CANCER AMONG DYE WORKERS Behnam Nabavizadeh, Gregory Amend, and Benjamin Breyer Behnam NabavizadehBehnam Nabavizadeh More articles by this author , Gregory AmendGregory Amend More articles by this author , and Benjamin BreyerBenjamin Breyer More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000001993.03AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: The association between occupational exposure to aromatic amines and bladder cancers is well-established; however, the history of its discovery is not well-known among urologists. Herein, we aimed to report the promising research endeavors which formed the basis of our current understanding of occupational bladder cancer. METHODS: We performed a literature review using PubMed and Google Scholar to find abstracts, articles and book chapters relevant to the discovery of work-related bladder cancer. We also used Google search engine to gather historic reports available on news websites. RESULTS: In 1856, the first synthetic dye was accidentally produced by William Perkin, an 18-year-old British chemistry student working on production of synthetic quinine from coal tar. He patented his “mauveine” dye and established a factory to commercialize the first synthetic dye. A few decades later, Ludwig Rehn, a German surgeon, noticed a disproportionately high incidence of bladder cancer among dye workers. He reported the first cases in 1895 and called them “aniline tumors”. However, he was not eventually able to prove the causal pathway of chemical exposure to bladder cancer. A similar phenomenon was observed among dye workers in the U.S. in 1930s. Wilhelm Hueper, a German pathologist, was hired by DuPont, a big dye company in the U.S., to scrutinize the etiology by performing animal studies. Unlike previous unsuccessful animal models, Hueper chose female dogs and successfully induced bladder cancer by subcutaneous injection and oral administration of ß-naphthylamine. However, the company blocked publication of Hueper’s findings and he was dismissed from the company. The full report of his work was published in 1938 and he concluded that ß-naphthylamine is at least one of the carcinogens leading to bladder cancer. It took until 1955 when the company terminated the production of noxious dye substances. In 1976, they declared that 339 of 2000 workers who were exposed to ß-naphthylamine were eventually diagnosed with bladder cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Many work-related cases of bladder cancer among U.S. dye workers developed after Rehn’s initial report in 1895. Industry was slow to acknowledge the harmful impacts of the carcinogenic compounds. Pioneering epidemiology and translational research eventually led to strong confirmation of the causal pathway and eventual work protections. Source of Funding: None © 2021 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 206Issue Supplement 3September 2021Page: e238-e238 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2021 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Behnam Nabavizadeh More articles by this author Gregory Amend More articles by this author Benjamin Breyer More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement Loading ...