A study of Chinese benzidine workers indicated elevated levels of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) 2B7 T/T activity in carriers for development of bladder cancer. The present study was designed to investigate the possible impact of the presence of UGT2B7 genotype on bladder cancer risk in Caucasians. UGT2B7 polymorphism at locus C(802)T (His(268)Tyr) was detected using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP)-based procedure. The study group consisted of 211 bladder cancer cases and 210 controls suffering from different urological diseases, but without any history of cancer. Both groups were recruited from a Department of Urology located in a center of former chemical and rubber industries in Germany. Furthermore, 171 bladder cancer cases with a history of occupational exposure to aromatic amines surveyed for compensation due to an occupational disease were investigated. T/T genotype frequencies in bladder cancer cases, urological controls, and exposed patients appeared similar (27 vs. 35 vs. 25%). This study indicated that there were ethnic differences between Caucasian and Chinese general populations with respect to the UGT2B7 genotype. Furthermore, in contrast to an earlier investigation in benzidine-exposed Chinese bladder cancer patients, no relevant differences between bladder cancer patients and urological hospital controls were observed in Germany.