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ASSOCIATION BETWEEN CANCER MORTALITY AND WHEAT ACREAGE AS A SURROGATE FOR CHLOROPHENOXY HERBICIDES IN COUNTIES OF OUR NORTHERN STATES
Citation:
Schreinemachers, D M. ASSOCIATION BETWEEN CANCER MORTALITY AND WHEAT ACREAGE AS A SURROGATE FOR CHLOROPHENOXY HERBICIDES IN COUNTIES OF OUR NORTHERN STATES. Presented at Fifth Symposium of the U.S. EPA NHEERL: Indicators in Health and Ecological Risk Assessment, Research Triangle Park, NC, June 6-8, 2000.
Description:
Chlorophenoxy herbicides which have endocrine disrupting properties, are used widely both in cereal grain agriculture and in non-agricultural settings, such as right-of-ways, lawns, and parks. Most of the spring and durum wheat produced in the U.S. is grown in four northern states: Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana. Over 90% of spring and durum wheat is treated with chlorophenoxy herbicides (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetic acid). This ecological study investigates the association between cancer mortality during 1980-1989 and a surrogate for exposure to chlorophenoxy herbicides, namely wheat acreage per county as reported by the 1982 Agricultural Census. Counties were selected based on level of agriculture ( 20%) and rural population ( 50%). For frequently occurring cancers, correlations between age-standardized cancer mortality rates and wheat acreage per county were determined. For less frequently occurring cancers, counties were combined into three groups based on tertiles of wheat acreage per county. Age-standardized cancer mortality rates were determined for these three groups. Positive trends with increasing wheat acreage were observed for the following cancer sites: men: esophagus, stomach, rectum, pancreas, larynx, prostate, kidney & ureter, brain, thyroid, bone, all cancers; women: oral cavity & tongue, esophagus, stomach, liver & gall bladder & bile ducts, pancreas, cervix, ovary, bladder & other urinary organs, all cancers. Rare cancers in men and women, and cancers in boys and girls were studied by comparing counties above and below the median of wheat acreage per county. Increased mortality was observed for cancer of the nose and eye in both men and women, brain and leukemia in both boys and girls, and all cancers in boys. These results suggest an association between cancer mortality and wheat acreage in counties of these four states. This abstract does not necessarily reflect US EPA policy.