Chemical Used in Manufacturing of Rubber Products May Be Linked to Deadly Cancers

A chemical widely used in the manufacturing of rubber products and other types of consumer goods may increase the risk of deadly cancers in workers who are exposed to the chemical fumes, according to a newly released British study.

The chemical, 2-mercaptobenzothiazole, or MBT, more than doubles the risk of colon cancer and leaves workers four times as likely to develop bone marrow cancer than people who are not exposed, according to the study.

MBT is considered a “high-volume chemical” in the United States, with more than 1 million pounds of the chemical used each year. In the United States, it is used in various types of commerical sealants, vinyl, automobile radiator fluids, corrosion inhibitors, vulcanization agents, and other consumer products.

Research Finds Possible Cancer Link

Researchers from the University of Birmingham concluded that MBT should be handled with care since studies have shown the chemical may be a human carcinogen capable of causing cancer in people who inhale the chemical fumes. The team of researchers focused on death rates of 363 workers who were exposed to the chemical while on the job at the Flexsys manufacturing plant in Wales for at least six months between 1955 and 1984 and cancer cases reported from 1971 to 2005.

The study found that the cancer risk increased in workers who were exposed to MBT over longer periods of time, but researchers said additional work is requied to further substantiate the possible cancer link, since the study focused on such a relatively small group of workers.

Previous Studies Found Cancer in Mice

The new British study is the first to find a possible link between MBT fumes exposure and deadly cancer in humans. Previous scientific studies had found the chemical could cause cancerous tumors in laboratory mice, researchers said.

Manufacturing Workers at Risk, Not Consumers

The reserachers said the greatest risks of exposure are in factory workers who handle or work around the chemical in the manufacturing of rubber products. Consumers who use rubber products containing MBT are not at risk of cancer from the chemical because they would not typically inhale chemical fumes, which are only generated during the manufacturing of the products, researchers said.