| Fonofos Exposure and Cancer Incidence in the Agricultural Health Study Rajeev Mahajan,1 Aaron Blair,1 Charles F. Lynch,2 Paul Schroeder,3 Jane A. Hoppin,4 Dale P. Sandler,4 and Michael C.R. Alavanja1 1Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, Maryland, USA; 2Department of Epidemiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA; 3Westat, Rockville, Maryland, USA; 4Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA Abstract
Background: The Agricultural Health Study (AHS) is a prospective cohort study of licensed pesticide applicators from Iowa and North Carolina enrolled 1993–1997 and followed for incident cancer through 2002. A previous investigation in this cohort linked exposure to the organophosphate fonofos with incident prostate cancer in subjects with family history of prostate cancer. Objectives: This finding along with findings of associations between organophosphate pesticides and cancer more broadly led to this study of fonofos and risk of any cancers among 45,372 pesticide applicators enrolled in the AHS. Methods: Pesticide exposure and other data were collected using self-administered questionnaires. Poisson regression was used to calculate rate ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) while controlling for potential confounders. Results: Relative to the unexposed, leukemia risk was elevated in the highest category of lifetime (RR = 2.24 ; 95% CI, 0.94-5.34, ptrend = 0.07) and intensity-weighted exposure-days (RR = 2.67 ; 95% CI, 1.06–6.70, ptrend = 0.04) , a measure that takes into account factors that modify pesticide exposure. Although prostate cancer risk was unrelated to fonofos use overall, among applicators with a family history of prostate cancer, we observed a significant dose–response trend for lifetime exposure-days (ptrend = 0.02, RR highest tertile vs. unexposed = 1.77, 95% CI, 1.03–3.05 ; RRinteraction = 1.28, 95% CI, 1.07–1.54) . Intensity-weighted results were similar. No associations were observed with other examined cancer sites. Conclusions: Further study is warranted to confirm findings with respect to leukemia and determine whether genetic susceptibility modifies prostate cancer risk from pesticide exposure. Key words: agriculture, fonofos, insecticides, neoplasms, occupational exposure, organophosphorus compounds, organothiophosphorus compounds, pesticides. Environ Health Perspect 114:1838–1842 (2006) . doi:10.1289/ehp.9301 available via http://dx.doi.org/ [Online 18 August 2006]
Address correspondence to M.C.R. Alavanja, 6120 Executive Blvd., EPS 8000, MSC 7240, Occupational Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD 20852 USA. Telephone: (301) 435-4720. Fax: (301) 402-1819. E-mail: Alavanjm@mail.nih.gov We acknowledge the assistance and expertise of E. Hodgson and R. Rose. This research was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health. The authors declare they have no competing financial interests. Received 28 April 2006 ; accepted 17 August 2006.
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