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RETINAL DEGENERATION AND OTHER EYE DISORDERS IN WIVES OF FARMER PESTICIDE APPLICATORS ENROLLED IN THE AGRICULTURAL HEALTH STUDY.
Citation:
Kirrane, K. F., J. A. Hoppin, F. Kamel, D. M. Umbach, W K. Boyes, A. DeRoos, M. Alavanja, AND D. P. Sandler. RETINAL DEGENERATION AND OTHER EYE DISORDERS IN WIVES OF FARMER PESTICIDE APPLICATORS ENROLLED IN THE AGRICULTURAL HEALTH STUDY. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY 161(11):1020-1029, (2005).
Description:
This manuscript describes an epidemiological investigation of the wives of licensed pesticide applicators who are enrolled in the Agricultural Health Study, a large ongoing epidemiological study of pesticide applicators and their families in North Carolina and Iowa. The Agricultural Health Study is a collaborative project involving the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences and the Environmental Protection Agency. This manuscript follows a previous paper that reported an increased risk of a physician diagnosis of retinal degeneration in pesticide applicators who used fungicides (Kamel et al., American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 37: 618-628, 2000). The current manuscript reports that the wives of licensed pesticide applicators also show an increased risk of retinal degeneration that is associated with their own use of fungicides. The study is limited by the nature of the self reported outcomes without an independent retinal examination. The study is strengthened by confirming an association which was previously observed between fungicide use and retinal degeneration. The study may have implications for the health risks of long-term pesticide exposure.