Trichloroethylene (TCE) has been widely used as a degreasing agent in many manufacturing industries. Recently, the International Agency for Research on Cancer presented “sufficient evidence” for the causal relationship between TCE and kidney cancer. The aim of this study was to review the epidemiologic evidences regarding the relationship between TCE exposure and kidney cancer in Korean work environments. The results from the cohort studies were inconsistent, but according to the meta-analysis and case–control studies, an increased risk for kidney cancer was present in the exposure group and the dose–response relationship could be identified using various measures of exposure. In Korea, TCE is a commonly used chemical for cleaning or degreasing processes by various manufacturers; average exposure levels of TCE vary widely. When occupational physicians evaluate work-relatedness kidney cancers, they must consider past exposure levels, which could be very high (>100 ppm in some cases) and associated with jobs, such as plating, cleaning, or degreasing. The exposure levels at a manual job could be higher than an automated job. The peak level of TCE could also be considered an important exposure-related variable due to the possibility of carcinogenesis associated with high TCE doses. This review could be a comprehensive reference for assessing work-related TCE exposure and kidney cancer in Korea.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by  

• Occupational Inhalation Health Risk Assessment of TCE Exposure in the Korean Manufacturing Industry
  Sueji Seo, Saemi Shin, Sanghoon Byeon
  Applied Sciences.2024; 14(13): 5510.     CrossRef
• Application of multiple occupational health risk assessment models in occupation health risk prediction of trichloroethylene in the electroplating and electronics industries
  Shibiao Su, Zhiming Liang, Sheng Zhang, Haijuan Xu, Jinru Chen, Zhuandi Zhao, Meibian Zhang, Tianjian Wang
  International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics.2023; 29(1): 70.     CrossRef
• Time-concentration-dependent profile of histone modifications on human hepatocytes treated by trichloroacetic acid
  Xinyue Peng, Susu Yu, Hui Lin, Fan Wu, Jiani Yang, Cheng Zhou, Luyun Zhang, Jianping Yang, Wenjuan Zhang
  International Journal of Environmental Health Research.2022; 32(11): 2376.     CrossRef
• Intracellular complement activation in podocytes aggravates immune kidney injury in trichloroethylene-sensitized mice
  Xiaodong Yang, Wei Jiang, Meng Huang, Yuying Dai, Bodong Li, Xian Wang, Yun Yu, Tong Shen, Changhao Wu, Qixing Zhu
  The Journal of Toxicological Sciences.2020; 45(11): 681.     CrossRef
• DNA methyltransferase expression and DNA hypomethylation status in human hepatocytes following trichloroacetic acid exposure
  Caiyun Lai, Jianji Gao, Zhiliang Zhu, Jianhui Yuan, Wenjuan Zhang, Jianping Yang
  Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications.2019; 511(2): 266.     CrossRef
• Respiratory effects of trichloroethylene
  Orianne Dumas, Thomas Despreaux, Frédéric Perros, Edmund Lau, Pascal Andujar, Marc Humbert, David Montani, Alexis Descatha
  Respiratory Medicine.2018; 134: 47.     CrossRef
• Review of refractory ceramic fiber (RCF) toxicity, epidemiology and occupational exposure
  L. Daniel Maxim, Mark J. Utell
  Inhalation Toxicology.2018; 30(2): 49.     CrossRef
• Association between working time quality and self-perceived health: analysis of the 3rd Korean working conditions survey (2011)
  Jaeyoup Jung, Gyuree Kim, Kyusung Kim, Domyung Paek, Sung-il Cho
  Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.2017;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Disruption of F-Actin Polymerization, and Transcriptomic Alterations in Zebrafish Larvae Exposed to Trichloroethylene
  Sara E. Wirbisky, Nur P. Damayanti, Cecon T. Mahapatra, Maria S. Sepúlveda, Joseph Irudayaraj, Jennifer L. Freeman
  Chemical Research in Toxicology.2016; 29(2): 169.     CrossRef
• Trichloroethylene-Induced DNA Methylation Changes in Male F344 Rat Liver
  Yan Jiang, Jiahong Chen, Cong Yue, Hang Zhang, Tao Chen
  Chemical Research in Toxicology.2016; 29(10): 1773.     CrossRef
• Association Between Kidney Cancer and Occupational Exposure to Trichloroethylene
  Morten Buhagen, Anna Grønskag, Siri Fenstad Ragde, Bjørn Hilt
  Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine.2016; 58(9): 957.     CrossRef
• Case report of renal cell carcinoma in automobile manufacturing factory worker due to trichloroethylene exposure in Korea
  June-Hee Lee, Inah Kim, Hongdeok Seok, Inhyo Park, Jungho Hwang, Jae-Oh Park, Jong-Uk Won, Jaehoon Roh
  Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.2015;[Epub]     CrossRef