Epidemiological and other data related to human cancers and specific chemical compounds are reviewed. The compounds considered include: methyl-chloride (74873), methylene-chloride (75092), chloroform (67663), carbon-tetrachloride (56235), methyl-bromide (74839), bromoform (75252), trichlorofluoromethane (75694), dichlorofluoromethane (75434), methylchloroform (71556), ethylene-chloride (107062), ethylene-dibromide (106934), halothane (151677), hexachloroethane (67721), trichloroethylene (79016), perchloroethylene (127184), allyl-chloride (107051), dibromochloropropane (96128), epichlorohydrin (106898), chloromethylmethyl-ether (107302), and bischloromethyl-ether (542881). Data accumulated to date suggest that many of these compounds are mutagenic and carcinogenic and indicate the need for further epidemiologic studies of exposed populations. Except for an increased risk for lung cancer among workers exposed to chloromethyl ethers, no clear cut findings emerge from the data. However, the authors indicate that most of the studies thus far conducted would fail to indicate an increased cancer risk of any considerable magnitude. Several cross sectional studies which have been conducted in the past couple of decades may provide a great deal of information for the long term follow up studies needed to obtain a better picture of cancer risk.
