ABSTRACT
In 1761, A. B. Hill claimed that tobacco used as snuff caused nasal cancer. Several epidemiological reports and animal experiments incriminate nickel and nickel compounds as the predominant carcinogen for nasal and other respiratory cancers in nickel workers. The predominant histopathological type of nickel-related nasal carcinomas in our studies has been squamous cell carcinoma (83%) and anaplastic carcinoma (17%). Special emphasis will be layed on chemical and histopathological findings in the nasal mucosa of nickel-exposed and nonexposed individuals. In 1966, W. C. Hueper reported six cases of cancers of the nasal cavities. G. C. Roush has compiled nine cases of nasal cancer in workers employed in chrome pigment industry. An important consumer of chromium has been the tanning industry. Epidemiologic studies imply that hexavalent chromium compounds are the main cause for respiratory tract cancers in Chromate workers, although animal experiments have not been very successful in identifying the particular compounds responsible for the increased risk of lung cancer.
