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The German Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area has re-evaluated the correlation between inhalational exposure to readily soluble nickel compounds (e.g. nickel acetate [373-02-4], nickel chloride [7718-54-9] and nickel sulfate [7786-81-4]) and urinary nickel excretion (exposure equivalents for carcinogenic substances (EKA)). The review of the available literature identified several studies that provided regression equations on this relation. However, the values for urinary nickel excretion predicted from these studies varied considerably. Since EKA cannot be determined with sufficient reliability, they are withdrawn.

The German Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area has re-evaluated the correlation between inhalational exposure to readily soluble nickel compounds (e.g. nickel acetate [373-02-4], nickel chloride [7718-54-9] and nickel sulfate [7786-81-4]) and urinary nickel excretion (exposure equivalents for carcinogenic substances (EKA)). The review of the available literature identified several studies that provided regression equations on this relation. However, the values for urinary nickel excretion predicted from these studies varied considerably. Since EKA cannot be determined with sufficient reliability, they are withdrawn.

There is inconsistent evidence for a possible carcinogenic effect of shift work. In particular, little is known about the putative association of shift work with prostate cancer.We studied a cohort of 27,828 male industrial production workers residing in the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate who worked for at least one year in a chemical company in the period 1995-2005. We obtained data on shift work and potential confounders including age, occupational task, and duration of employment from personnel files and from the records of the occupational health service. New cases of cancer in the period 2000-2009 were ascertained from the state cancer registry. Differences in risk between shift workers and daytime workers were analyzed with Cox regression, stratified by stage of cancer, and adjusted for potential confounding effects.There were 146 new cases of prostate cancer in 12,609 rotating shift workers and 191 in 15,219 daytime workers. The median year of birth was 1960 in the first group and 1959 in the second. The shift workers did not have an elevated hazard ratio for prostate cancer in comparison to the daytime workers (HR = 0.93, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.73-1.18). Some differences were seen depending on tumor stage. Both groups of workers had a higher incidence of prostate carcinoma than the general population (standardized incidence rate [SIR] = 1.44, 95% CI 1.22-1.70 for daytime workers; SIR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.30-1.74 for shift workers).In this well-documented, large-scale cohort study, the incidence of prostate cancer among shift workers did not differ from that among daytime workers. In the authors' opinion, further follow-up of this relatively young cohort is required.

On 10 July 2013, a most saddening news came in about the sudden demise of Dr Diane J. Mundt lost her life in a car crash in Haiti. Among other numerous professional duties and activities, late Dr Mundt served as the Secretary of Medichem, the international scientific association for occupational and environmental health in the production and use of chemicals (2008-2013) and am acive member of the Advisory Editorial Board of Archives of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology. She will be remembered as a knowledgeable professional, most kind colleague, an exceptionally warm and sympathetic person with a good soul.

Einleitung: Blasenkrebs ist die vierthäufigste Krebserkrankung bei Männern in Deutschland, mit einem durchschnittlichen Erkrankungsalter von 72 Jahren. Die 5-Jahres-Überlebensrate beträgt ca. 75%. Ein frühzeitiges Erkennen von Harnblasenkrebs kann den Therapieerfolg deutlich[for full text, please go to the a.m. URL], Mainz//2011; 56. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Medizinische Informatik, Biometrie und Epidemiologie (gmds), 6. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Epidemiologie (DGEpi)