Pesticides and Lung Cancer Risk in the Agricultural Health Study Cohort

• Published in: American journal of epidemiology Vol. 160; no. 9; pp. 876 - 885
• Main Authors: Alavanja, Michael C. R., Dosemeci, Mustafa, Samanic, Claudine, Lubin, Jay, Lynch, Charles F., Knott, Charles, Barker, Joseph, Hoppin, Jane A., Sandler, Dale P., Coble, Joseph, Thomas, Kent, Blair, Aaron
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cary, NC Oxford University Press 01.11.2004; Oxford Publishing Limited (England)
• Subjects: Acetamides - poisoning; Aged; Agricultural Workers' Diseases - chemically induced; Agricultural Workers' Diseases - epidemiology; Agrochemicals - poisoning; Analysis. Health state; Aniline Compounds - poisoning; Biological and medical sciences; Chlorpyrifos - poisoning; confidence interval; Diazinon - poisoning; Epidemiology; Female; General aspects; Herbicides - poisoning; Humans; Incidence; Iowa - epidemiology; Logistic Models; Lung cancer; lung neoplasms; Lung Neoplasms - chemically induced; Lung Neoplasms - epidemiology; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; North Carolina - epidemiology; Occupational Exposure - adverse effects; Occupational Exposure - analysis; odds ratio; Pesticides; Pesticides - poisoning; Pneumology; Population Surveillance; Prospective Studies; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Registries; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; Smoking - adverse effects; Smoking - epidemiology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Time Factors; Tumors of the respiratory system and mediastinum; North Carolina; Iowa; Human; Lung disease; lung neoplasms; Respiratory disease; Toxicity; Lung cancer; Pesticides; Risk; Malignant tumor; Epidemiology; Bronchopulmonary malignant tumor; Cohort study; Risk factor; Bronchus disease; Agriculture; Public health
• ISSN: 0002-9262; 1476-6256; 0002-9262
• DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwh290

The authors examined the relation between 50 widely used agricultural pesticides and lung cancer incidence in the Agricultural Health Study, a prospective cohort study of 57,284 pesticide applicators and 32,333 spouses of farmer applicators with no prior history of lung cancer. Self-administered questionnaires were completed at enrollment (1993–1997). Cancer incidence was determined through population-based cancer registries from enrollment through December 31, 2001. A lung cancer standardized incidence ratio of 0.44 (95% confidence interval: 0.39, 0.49) was observed overall, due in large part to a low cigarette smoking prevalence. Two widely used herbicides, metolachlor and pendimethalin (for low-exposed groups to four higher exposure categories: odds ratio (OR) = 1.0, 1.6, 1.2, 5.0; ptrend = 0.0002; and OR = 1.0, 1.6, 2.1, 4.4; ptrend = 0.003, respectively), and two widely used insecticides, chlorpyrifos and diazinon (OR = 1.0, 1.1, 1.7, 1.9; ptrend = 0.03; and OR = 1.0, 1.6, 2.7, 3.7; ptrend = 0.04, respectively), showed some evidence of exposure response for lung cancer. These excesses could not be explained by previously identified lung cancer risk factors. The usage levels in this cohort are considerably higher than those typically experienced by the general population. An excess risk among spouses directly exposed to pesticides could not be evaluated at this time.