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PESTICIDES AND LUNG CANCER RISK IN THE AGRICULTURAL HEALTH STUDY
Citation:
ALAVANJA, M. C., M. DOSEMECI, C. SAMANIC, J. LUBIN, C. F. LYNCH, C. KNOTT, J. BARKER, J. HOPPIN, D. SANDLER, J. COBLE, K. W. THOMAS, AND A. BLAIR. PESTICIDES AND LUNG CANCER RISK IN THE AGRICULTURAL HEALTH STUDY. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 160(9):876-885, (2004).
Impact/Purpose:
The primary goal of the AHS Pesticide Exposure Study (AHS/PES) is to measure exposure to applied pesticides for a subset of the cohort of private pesticide applicators and to provide data to evaluate exposure algorithms developed for exposure classification in the study cohort.
Description:
We examined the relationship 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 SIR of 0.44 (95% CI, 0.39-0.49) was observed overall, due, in large part, to a low cigarette smoking prevalence. Two widely used herbicides, metolachlor and pendimethalin (odds ratios for low-exposed groups to higher exposure categories [OR=1.0, 1.6, 1.2, 5.0 p for trend=0.0001; and OR= 1.0, 1.6, 2.1, 4.4; p for trend p=0.002, respectively]) and two widely used insecticides chlorpyrifos and diazinon (OR=1.0, 1.1, 1.7, 1.9; p for trend=0.03 and OR= 1.0, 1.6, 2.7, 3.7; p for trend =0.0.04, 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.