Pesticide use and breast cancer risk among farmers' wives in the agricultural health study Journal Article
| Authors: | Engel, L. S.; Hill, D. A.; Hoppin, J. A.; Lubin, J. H.; Lynch, C. F.; Pierce, J.; Samanic, C.; Sandler, D. P.; Blair, A.; Alavanja, M. C. |
| Article Title: | Pesticide use and breast cancer risk among farmers' wives in the agricultural health study |
| Abstract: | The authors examined the association between pesticide use and breast cancer incidence among farmers' wives in a large prospective cohort study in Iowa and North Carolina. Participants were 30,454 women with no history of breast cancer prior to cohort enrollment in 1993-1997. Information on pesticide use and other information was obtained by self-administered questionnaire at enrollment from the women and their husbands. Through 2000, 309 incident breast cancer cases were identified via population-based cancer registries. Rate ratios were calculated for individual pesticides using Poisson regression, controlling for confounding factors. Breast cancer standardized incidence ratios were 0.87 (95% confidence interval: 0.74, 1.02) for women who reported ever applying pesticides and 1.05 (95% confidence interval: 0.89, 1.24) for women who reported never applying pesticides. There was some evidence of increased risk associated with use of 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxypropionic acid (2,4,5-TP) and possibly use of dieldrin, captan, and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-TP), but small numbers of cases among those who had personally used the pesticides precluded firm conclusions. The authors found no clear association of breast cancer risk with farm size or washing of clothes worn during pesticide application, but risk was modestly elevated among women whose homes were closest to areas of pesticide application. Further follow-up of this cohort should help clarify the relation between pesticide exposure and breast cancer risk. |
| Keywords: | adolescent; adult; aged; aged, 80 and over; middle aged; unclassified drug; major clinical study; cancer risk; united states; follow-up studies; cancer incidence; prospective studies; demography; disease association; breast cancer; cohort analysis; risk factors; health survey; breast neoplasms; self report; risk; questionnaire; cancer registry; health risk; environmental exposure; herbicides; north america; life style; dieldrin; north carolina; occupational exposure; spouses; reproductive history; spouse; world; western hemisphere; agriculture; insecticides; pesticides; pesticide; agricultural worker; iowa; pesticide spraying; agricultural workers' diseases; agrochemicals; fungicides, industrial; 2,4,5 trichlorophenoxyacetic acid; captan; propionic acid derivative; trichlorophenoxypropionic acid; agronomic trait; farm size; laundry |
| Journal Title: | American Journal of Epidemiology |
| Volume: | 161 |
| Issue: | 2 |
| ISSN: | 0002-9262 |
| Publisher: | Oxford University Press |
| Date Published: | 2005-01-15 |
| Start Page: | 121 |
| End Page: | 135 |
| Language: | English |
| DOI: | 10.1093/aje/kwi022 |
| PUBMED: | 15632262 |
| PROVIDER: | scopus |
| DOI/URL: | |
| Notes: | --- - "Cited By (since 1996): 43" - "Export Date: 24 October 2012" - "CODEN: AJEPA" - "Source: Scopus" |
