What is the contribution of occupational environmental factors to the occurrence of scleroderma in men?

An occupational analysis of 56 men with scleroderma in the United Kingdom showed no evidence that silica exposure was implicated in the onset of the disease, in contrast with older published reports suggesting that such exposure explained an important proportion of the occurrence of the disease in men. Of the major occupational exposures suggested from case reports, only organic solvents were reported to any extent in this series. No significant increase in exposure to organic solvents was noted, however, in a case control analysis.