Incidence of solid tumours among pesticide applicators exposed to the organophosphate insecticide diazinon in the Agricultural Health Study: an updated analysis.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

Diazinon, a common organophosphate insecticide with genotoxic properties, was previously associated with lung cancer in the Agricultural Health Study (AHS) cohort, but few other epidemiological studies have examined diazinon-associated cancer risk. We used updated diazinon exposure and cancer incidence information to evaluate solid tumour risk in the AHS.

METHODS:

Male pesticide applicators in Iowa and North Carolina reported lifetime diazinon use at enrolment (1993-1997) and follow-up (1998-2005); cancer incidence was assessed through 2010(North Carolina)/2011(Iowa). Among applicators with usage information sufficient to evaluate exposure-response patterns, we used Poisson regression to estimate adjusted rate ratios (RRs) and 95% CI for cancer sites with ≥10 exposed cases for both lifetime (LT) exposure days and intensity-weighted (IW) lifetime exposure days (accounting for factors impacting exposure).

RESULTS:

We observed elevated lung cancer risks (N=283) among applicators with the greatest number of LT (RR=1.60; 95% CI 1.11 to 2.31; P(trend)=0.02) and IW days of diazinon use (RR=1.41; 95% CI 0.98 to 2.04; P(trend)=0.08). Kidney cancer (N=94) risks were non-significantly elevated (RR(LT) days=1.77; 95% CI 0.90 to 3.51; P(trend)=0.09; RR(IW) days 1.37; 95% CI 0.64 to 2.92; P(trend)=0.50), as were risks for aggressive prostate cancer (N=656).

CONCLUSIONS:

Our updated evaluation of diazinon provides additional evidence of an association with lung cancer risk. Newly identified links to kidney cancer and associations with aggressive prostate cancer require further evaluation.

• Authors: Rena R Jones, Francesco Barone-Adesi, Stella Koutros, Catherine C Lerro, Aaron Blair, Jay Lubin, Sonya L Heltshe, Jane A Hoppin, Michael C R Alavanja, Laura E Beane Freeman
• Journal: Occupational and environmental medicine (Occup Environ Med) Vol. 72 Issue 7 Pg. 496-503 (Jul 2015) ISSN: 1470-7926 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 25907210 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural)
• Copyright: Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Chemical References

• Organophosphorus Compounds
• Pesticides
• Diazinon

Topics

• Adult
• Agricultural Workers' Diseases (epidemiology, etiology)
• Agriculture
• Diazinon (adverse effects)
• Humans
• Incidence
• Iowa (epidemiology)
• Kidney Neoplasms (epidemiology, etiology)
• Lung Neoplasms (epidemiology, etiology)
• Male
• Middle Aged
• North Carolina (epidemiology)
• Occupational Exposure (adverse effects)
• Organophosphorus Compounds (adverse effects)
• Pesticides (adverse effects)
• Prospective Studies
• Prostatic Neoplasms (epidemiology, etiology)