Table 3 Risks of lung cancer mortality according to respirable crystalline silica exposure categories set by each study

No. deaths

Risk

95%CI

Adjustment

Cohort studies

Brown et al. (2005)

 Cumulative exposure (mg/m³) years

RR

  <0.13

20

1

Age, period from first employment, employment status, year of starting employment, quarry

  0.13–<0.40

21

1.14

0.60–2.18

  0.40-<1.00

22

1.12

0.58–2.18

  ≥ 1.00

19

0.92

0.44–1.92

Mundt et al. (2011)

 Mean annual concentration (mg/m³)

HR

  Men

Age, smoking, length of employment

  ≤ 0.05

25

1

  > 0.05–0.1

20

2.1

1.1-4.0

  > 0.1–0.15

6

1.3

0.5–3.3

  > 0.15–0.2

12

2.4

1.1–5.2

  > 0.2

11

1.5

0.7–3.3

  Women

  ≤ 0.05

10

1

  > 0.05–0.1

3

0.5

0.1–1.9

  > 0.1–0.15

5

1.8

0.5–6.3

  > 0.15–0.2

2

1.1

0.2-6.0

  > 0.2

0

Mundt et al. (2011)

 Cumulative exposure (mg/m³) years

HR

  Men

Age, smoking

  ≤ 0.5

19

1

  > 0.5–1.0

5

0.3

0.1–0.9

  > 1.0–1.5

5

0.4

0.1–1.1

  > 1.5–3.0

16

0.6

0.3–1.2

  > 3.0

29

0.5

0.3-1.0

  Women

  ≤ 0.5

1

1

  > 0.5–1.0

7

7.8

1.0-63.2

  > 1.0–1.5

3

4.2

0.4–40.4

  > 1.5–3.0

3

2.2

0.2–21.8

  > 3.0

6

3.2

0.4–27.6

Olsen et al. (2011)

 Mean exposure (mg/m³)

RR

  0–<0.015

 -

1

Age, race, period since first gainful employment, and mining plant

  0.015–<0.033

 -

1.77

0.96–3.29

  0.033

 -

1.11

0.54–2.29

  < 0.061

 -

1.28

0.58–2.82

  ≥ 0.061

 -

0.8

Sogl et al. (2012)

 Cumulative exposure (mg/m³) years

RR

  0–0.5

137

1

Radon and arsenic

  0.5–2

283

1.08

0.86–1.31

  2–5

356

1.13

0.89–1.37

  5–10

430

1.05

0.81–1.28

  10–20

936

1.47

1.13–1.81

  20–30

664

2.05

1.51–2.60

  30–56

189

2.79

1.87–3.70

Cherry et al. (2013)

 Mean concentration (mg/m³)

Total no.

HR

117

Smoking

  < 0.1

-

1

  0.1–<0.15

-

1.07

0.65–1.74

  0.15–<0.2

-

0.76

0.43–1.32

  ≥ 0.2

-

0.96

0.58–1.60

Graber et al. (2014)

 Cumulative exposure (mg/m³) years

Total no.

HR

568

Age, race, year of birth

  < 2.22

-

1

  2.22–3.30

-

1.08

0.85–1.37

  3.31–4.12

-

1.20

0.95–1.52

  ≥ 4.13

-

1.17

0.92–1.50

Gallagher et al. (2015)

-

 Cumulative exposure (mg/m³) years

HR

  < 0.4

15

1

Age, calendar year and race

  0.4–<0.9

13

1.38

0.75–2.55

  1.0–<2.6

13

1.02

0.58–1.80

  2.6–<5.6

16

1.89

1.05–3.37

  > 5.6

20

2.03

1.07–3.85

Lai et al. (2018)

 Cumulative exposure (mg/m³) years

Total no.

HR

262

Sex, year and hiring age, intensity of smoking

  Not exposed

-

1

  ≤ 0.4935

-

1.67

1.13–2.47

  0.4935–0.8423

-

1.66

1.19–2.32

  ≥ 0.8423

-

1.67

1.22–2.30

Wang et al. (2020)

-

 Cumulative exposure (mg/m³) years

Total no.

HR

917

Sex, year and hiring age, intensity of smoking

  Not exposed

-

1

  0–1.056

-

1.32

1.07–1.62

  1.057–3.925

-

1.51

1.25–1.83

  > 3.925

-

1.52

1.24–1.87

Kleinschmidt et al. (2022)

-

 Cumulative exposure (mg/m³) years

HR

  < 0.089

29

1

Sex, starting age, race, starting calendar year

  0.089–<0.224

28

1.20

0.70–2.04

  0.224–<0.456

30

1.85

1.09–3.14

  ≥ 0.456

29

0.92

0.54–1.58

Case-control studies

Cases

Controls

Risk

95%CI

Adjustment

McDonald et al. (2005)

 Mean concentration (mg/m³)

OR

  < 0.07

28

58

1

For matching and smoking

  0.07–0.16

30

60

1.01

0.48–2.12

  >0.16–0.26

23

37

1.62

0.75–3.53

  >0.26

24

33

2.36

1.00-5.59

Vacek et al. (2010)

 Cumulative exposure (mg/m³) years

OR

  ≤ 0.26

84

241

1

Not adjusted

  0.26–0.82

56

176

0.87

0.56–1.29

  0.82–2.09

81

206

1.28

0.90–1.83

  2.09–4.10

74

167

1.29

0.87–1.89

  > 4.10

51

151

0.96

0.60–1.54

Allen et al. (2015)

 Cumulative exposure (mg/m³) years

Total no.

OR

1706

Taconite, hematite exposure, asbestos and sex

  0–0.0372

-

1

  0.0373–0.2063

-

1.04

0.84–1.29

  0.2064–0.5188

-

0.95

0.74–1.22

  ≥ 0.5189

-

0.97

0.70–1.35