A number of studies are available on the relationship between nasal cancer, in particular nasal adenocarcinoma, and occupational exposure in the furniture and cabinet-making industry. A smaller but still significant increase in relative risk was also found for nasal cancers other than adenocarcinomas. Studies in other countries also show excesses of nasal cancers in furniture workers.
Less information is available with respect to other cancer risks.
A SMR of 84 was seen in US mortality statistics for furniture-fixture occupations. The same study found a small, non-significantly increased risk for gastrointestinal cancers. There is evidence of a link between the occurrence of nasal cancers in furniture workers and the introduction of mechanized operations that produce high levels of wood dust. The English epidemiological study strongly suggests a linkage of these cancers with exposure to hardwood dusts. Nevertheless, case reports from France also relate to exposures that began in the 1950s when softwoods and exotic hardwoods came into use.