Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41886428›Full record

ArticleAnnals of work exposures and health2026

Enhancing a job exposure matrix with subject-specific information to assess combined exposure to benzene, toluene, and xylene in a case-control study.

Melissa C Friesen, Shuai Xie, Sarah J Locke, Dalsu Baris, Molly Schwenn, Nathaniel Rothman, Alison Johnson, Margaret R Karagas, Stella Koutros, Debra T Silverman

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Annals of work exposures and health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Occupational exposure to organic solvents and risk of bladder cancer.Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology · 2024
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Melissa C FriesenOccupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, Department of Health and Human Services, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, 9609 Medical Center Drive, MSC 9776, Bethesda, MD 20892, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-1695-3282
Shuai XieOccupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, Department of Health and Human Services, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, 9609 Medical Center Drive, MSC 9776, Bethesda, MD 20892, United States.
Sarah J LockeOccupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, Department of Health and Human Services, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, 9609 Medical Center Drive, MSC 9776, Bethesda, MD 20892, United States.
Dalsu BarisFormerly Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, Department of Health and Human Services, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, 9609 Medical Center Drive, MSC 9776, Bethesda, MD 20892, United States.ORCID 0009-0001-6520-9249
Molly SchwennFormerly Maine Cancer Registry, 361 Old Belgrade Rd, Augusta, ME 04330-8058, United States.
Nathaniel RothmanOccupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, Department of Health and Human Services, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, 9609 Medical Center Drive, MSC 9776, Bethesda, MD 20892, United States.
Alison JohnsonFormerly Vermont Department of Health, 108 Cherry St, Burlington, VT 05402, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-1113-1191
Margaret R KaragasDepartment of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, 1 Medical Center Drive, Williamson Translational Research Building, 7th Floor, Lebanon, NH 03756, United States.
Stella KoutrosOccupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, Department of Health and Human Services, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, 9609 Medical Center Drive, MSC 9776, Bethesda, MD 20892, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-5294-5485
Debra T SilvermanOccupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, Department of Health and Human Services, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, 9609 Medical Center Drive, MSC 9776, Bethesda, MD 20892, United States.

Funding

NCI NIH HHS ZIA CP010125-27NIH HHS
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesWe modified an existing job-exposure matrix (CANJEM) to estimate the combined exposure to benzene, toluene, and xylene, which are highly correlated (hereafter, BTX), and integrated subject-specific occupational information to assess BTX exposure for participants in a bladder cancer case-control study.

methodsWe linked CANJEM to the lifetime occupational histories of subjects in a population-based case-control study of bladder cancer. We derived CANJEM-based estimates of the probability, intensity, and frequency of BTX exposure by assigning the highest rating observed among the benzene, toluene, and xylene CANJEM metrics. We used subject-specific exposure information in the occupational histories and exposure-oriented modules to refine the CANJEM-based BTX metrics when confirmatory exposure information was identified (hereafter, hybrid BTX metrics). We compared agreement between the CANJEM-based and hybrid BTX metrics at the job- and subject-level using kappa for the ordinal probability metrics and Spearman correlation for the continuous intensity and cumulative exposure metrics.

resultsThe hybrid BTX approach increased 7% and decreased 5% of the CANJEM-based BTX probability ratings at the job-level and 16% and 7% at the subject-level, respectively. The CANJEM-based and hybrid BTX metrics identified 3.2% and 6.8% of the job records and 13% and 24% of the subjects as having a high probability of BTX exposure, respectively. The BTX-exposed subjects identified through the hybrid approach generally had lower cumulative exposures than those identified solely using CANJEM. CANJEM-based and hybrid BTX metrics had moderate agreement at the subject-level (probability: kappa = 0.62; cumulative metrics, Spearman correlation = 0.61).

conclusionsSupplementing a JEM with subject-specific exposure information identified within-job exposure heterogeneity that was not captured by using only a JEM.

Indexed as

BenzeneOccupational ExposureTolueneXylenesCase-Control StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedUrinary Bladder NeoplasmsBenzeneTolueneXylenesbenzeneexpert judgmentexposure assessmentjob exposure matrixoccupational exposureorganic solventstoluenexylene

Identifiers

PMID41886428
PMCPMC13020535

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.