Dataset Information

Alachlor Use and Cancer Incidence in the Agricultural Health Study: An Updated Analysis.

ABSTRACT: Background:The herbicide alachlor has been widely used in US agriculture since its introduction in 1969. Experimental animal studies show that alachlor causes tumors in vivo; however, few epidemiologic studies have examined associations with human cancer risk. We evaluated alachlor use and cancer incidence in the Agricultural Health Study, updating an earlier analysis that suggested associations with lymphohematopoietic cancers with an additional 540 142 person-years of follow-up and 5113 cancer cases. Methods:Pesticide applicators in Iowa and North Carolina reported lifetime alachlor use at enrollment (1993-1997) and follow-up (1999-2005). Exposure was characterized by cumulative intensity-weighted days. We estimated relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using Poisson regression for incident cancers from enrollment through 2012(NC)/2013(IA). Models adjusted for age, tobacco, alcohol, and other pesticides. All statistical tests are two-sided. Results:Among 49 685 applicators, 25 640 (51.6%) used alachlor, with 3534 alachlor-exposed cancers. The relative risks of laryngeal cancer (nexposed = 34) increased in the second (RR = 4.68, 95% CI = 1.95 to 11.23), third (RR = 6.04, 95% CI = 2.44 to 14.99), and fourth quartiles (RR = 7.10, 95% CI = 2.58 to 19.53) of intensity-weighted days of use compared with no use (Ptrend = .001). Risk of myeloid leukemia was elevated, though not statistically significantly so, in the fourth quartile of intensity-weighted days of use (RR = 1.82, 95% CI = 0.85 to 3.87, Ptrend = .17). Conclusions:We observed a strong positive association with use of alachlor and laryngeal cancer and a weaker association with myeloid leukemia. The strength and robustness of the association with laryngeal cancer suggests that long-term occupational exposure to alachlor may be a risk factor for laryngeal cancer. This first report requires confirmation.

SUBMITTER: Lerro CC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6136926 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Alachlor Use and Cancer Incidence in the Agricultural Health Study: An Updated Analysis.

Lerro Catherine C CC Andreotti Gabriella G Koutros Stella S Lee Won Jin WJ Hofmann Jonathan N JN Sandler Dale P DP Parks Christine G CG Blair Aaron A Lubin Jay H JH Beane Freeman Laura E LE

Journal of the National Cancer Institute 20180901 9

<h4>Background</h4>The herbicide alachlor has been widely used in US agriculture since its introduction in 1969. Experimental animal studies show that alachlor causes tumors in vivo; however, few epidemiologic studies have examined associations with human cancer risk. We evaluated alachlor use and cancer incidence in the Agricultural Health Study, updating an earlier analysis that suggested associations with lymphohematopoietic cancers with an additional 540 142 person-years of follow-up and 511 ...[more]

PMID: 29471327

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Project description:Background:Glyphosate is the most commonly used herbicide worldwide, with both residential and agricultural uses. In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic to humans," noting strong mechanistic evidence and positive associations for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in some epidemiologic studies. A previous evaluation in the Agricultural Health Study (AHS) with follow-up through 2001 found no statistically significant associations with glyphosate use and cancer at any site. Methods:The AHS is a prospective cohort of licensed pesticide applicators from North Carolina and Iowa. Here, we updated the previous evaluation of glyphosate with cancer incidence from registry linkages through 2012 (North Carolina)/2013 (Iowa). Lifetime days and intensity-weighted lifetime days of glyphosate use were based on self-reported information from enrollment (1993-1997) and follow-up questionnaires (1999-2005). We estimated incidence rate ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using Poisson regression, controlling for potential confounders, including use of other pesticides. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results:Among 54 251 applicators, 44 932 (82.8%) used glyphosate, including 5779 incident cancer cases (79.3% of all cases). In unlagged analyses, glyphosate was not statistically significantly associated with cancer at any site. However, among applicators in the highest exposure quartile, there was an increased risk of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) compared with never users (RR = 2.44, 95% CI = 0.94 to 6.32, Ptrend = .11), though this association was not statistically significant. Results for AML were similar with a five-year (RRQuartile 4 = 2.32, 95% CI = 0.98 to 5.51, Ptrend = .07) and 20-year exposure lag (RRTertile 3 = 2.04, 95% CI = 1.05 to 3.97, Ptrend = .04). Conclusions:In this large, prospective cohort study, no association was apparent between glyphosate and any solid tumors or lymphoid malignancies overall, including NHL and its subtypes. There was some evidence of increased risk of AML among the highest exposed group that requires confirmation.

Project description:BackgroundSome epidemiologic and laboratory studies suggest that insecticides are related to increased breast cancer risk, but the evidence is inconsistent. Women engaged in agricultural work or who reside in agricultural areas may experience appreciable exposures to a wide range of insecticides.ObjectiveWe examined associations between insecticide use and breast cancer incidence among wives of pesticide applicators (farmers) in the prospective Agricultural Health Study.MethodsFarmers and their wives provided information on insecticide use, demographics, and reproductive history at enrollment in 1993-1997 and in 5-y follow-up interviews. Cancer incidence was determined via cancer registries. Among 30,594 wives with no history of breast cancer before enrollment, we examined breast cancer risk in relation to the women's and their husbands' insecticide use using Cox proportional hazards regression to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).ResultsDuring an average 14.7-y follow-up, 39% of the women reported ever using insecticides, and 1,081 were diagnosed with breast cancer. Although ever use of insecticides overall was not associated with breast cancer risk, risk was elevated among women who had ever used the organophosphates chlorpyrifos [HR=1.4 (95% CI: 1.0, 2.0)] or terbufos [HR=1.5 (95% CI: 1.0, 2.1)], with nonsignificantly increased risks for coumaphos [HR=1.5 (95% CI: 0.9, 2.5)] and heptachlor [HR=1.5 (95% CI: 0.7, 2.9)]. Risk in relation to the wives' use was associated primarily with premenopausal breast cancer. We found little evidence of differential risk by tumor estrogen receptor status. Among women who did not apply pesticides, the husband's use of fonofos was associated with elevated risk, although no exposure-response trend was observed.ConclusionUse of several organophosphate insecticides was associated with elevated breast cancer risk. However, associations for the women's and husbands' use of these insecticides showed limited concordance. Ongoing cohort follow-up may help clarify the relationship, if any, between individual insecticide exposures and breast cancer risk. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP1295.

Dataset Information

Alachlor Use and Cancer Incidence in the Agricultural Health Study: An Updated Analysis.

Publications

Alachlor Use and Cancer Incidence in the Agricultural Health Study: An Updated Analysis.

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