Search the Database

Eye Cancer

• Prenatal ambient pesticide exposure and childhood retinoblastoma
  Retinoblastoma is a rare tumor of the retina, most commonly found in young children. Due to the rarity of this childhood cancer, few studies have been able to examine prenatal pesticide exposure as a risk factor. To examine the relationship between childhood retinoblastoma and prenatal exposure to pesticides through residential proximity to agricultural pesticide applications. We conducted a population-based case-control study using cases aged 5 and younger identified from the California Cancer Registry, and controls randomly selected from California birth certificates. Frequency matching cases to controls by age resulted in 221 cases of unilateral retinoblastoma and 114 cases of bilateral retinoblastoma, totaling 335 cases and 123,166 controls. Based on addresses from birth certificates we employed Pesticide Use Reports and land use information within a geographic information system approach to individually assess exposures to specific pesticides within 4000 m of the residence reported on birth certificates. The associations between retinoblastoma (all types combined and stratified by laterality) and individual pesticides were expressed as odds ratios estimates obtained from unconditional logistic regression models including a single pesticide, and from a hierarchical logistic regression model including all pesticides. We found that exposures to acephate (OR: 1.70, 95% CI: 1.20, 2.41) and bromacil (OR: 1.87, 95% CI: 1.07, 3.26) were associated with increased risk for unilateral retinoblastoma. In addition to acephate, we found that pymetrozine (OR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.00, 2.08) and kresoxim-methyl (OR: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.00, 2.56) were associated with retinoblastoma (all types combined). Our findings suggest that certain types of prenatal ambient pesticide exposure from residing near agricultural fields may play a role in the development of childhood retinoblastoma.
  [Thompson, S., Ritz, B., Cockburn, M. and Heck, J.E., 2022. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 245, p.114025.]
• A case-control study of paternal occupational exposures and the risk of childhood sporadic bilateral retinoblastoma.
  The risk factors for sporadic (ie, non-familial) retinoblastoma remain largely unknown. Authors examined the relationship between paternal occupational exposures from jobs held 10 years and 1 year prior to conception and the risk of sporadic bilateral retinoblastoma in children.Paternal occupational data were obtained for 198 incident cases diagnosed with sporadic bilateral retinoblastoma from January 1998 to May 2006 and 245 referral-based controls from the case child's relatives and friends who were matched to 135 of the cases on birth year. There was some indication of an elevated risk associated with paternal pesticide exposure in the 10 years prior to conception as well as in the year before conception. However, results for pesticide exposure were inconsistent and varied by analysis approach. Exposure-response trends were observed for pesticides and non-welding metal exposures. Findings suggest a potential role of paternal occupational exposures to non-welding metals and perhaps pesticides in the aetiology of childhood retinoblastoma.
  [Abdolahi A, van Wijngaarden E, McClean MD, et al. 2013. Occup Environ Med. 70(6):372-9]
• Risk of childhood cancers associated with residence in agriculturally intense areas in the United States
  Retinoblastoma associated with increased risk estimates for children less than one year of year and up through nine years of age is found in a study looking at children with cancer residence at diagnosis relative to the percent of land used for agriculture in the county.
  [Carrozza, S.E., et al. 2008. Environ Health Perspect 116(4):559-565.]
• Cancer in offspring of parents engaged in agricultural activities in Norway: incidence and risk factors in the farm environment.
  Parental agricultural exposure to pesticides is associated with eye cancer.
  [Kristensen, P., et al. 1996. Int J Cancer 65(1):39-50]

Laryngeal Cancer

• Geographical differences of cancer incidence in Costa Rica in relation to environmental and occupational pesticide exposure
  A study in Costa Rica finds heavy pesticide use in rural counties is associated with an increase risk for larynx cancer in males (OR 1.88).
  [Wesseling, C., et al. 1999. International Journal of Epidemiology 28:365-374.]
• Occupational risk factors for cancer of the larynx in Spain.
  Spain is one of the countries with the highest incidence of laryngeal cancer and, together with France, is the country with the lowest percentage of women with this disease. In order to identify the occupational risk factors associated with laryngeal cancer in this country a case-control study was performed. Cases included 85 patients with epidermoid carcinoma of the larynx diagnosed in "La Paz" Hospital, Madrid, between 1985 and 1987. A sample of 170 patients from the same hospital was used as control. The results of the study revealed that 56.5% of larynx cancer patients had a sedentary occupation working in the service sector. Exposure to insecticides or silica were strongest risk factors for laryngeal cancer.
  [Bravo MP, Espinosa J, Calero JR. 1990. Neoplasma. 37(4):477-81.]

Lip Cancer

• Cancer risks in a population-based study of 70,570 agricultural workers: results from the Canadian census health and Environment cohort (CanCHEC).
  Agricultural workers may be exposed to potential carcinogens including pesticides, sensitizing agents and solar radiation. Previous studies indicate increased risks of hematopoietic cancers and decreased risks at other sites, possibly due to differences in lifestyle or risk behaviours. Study present findings from CanCHEC (Canadian Census Health and Environment Cohort), the largest national population-based cohort of agricultural workers. Statistics Canada created the cohort using deterministic and probabilistic linkage of the 1991 Canadian Long Form Census to National Cancer Registry records for 1992-2010. A total of 9515 incident cancer cases (7295 in males) occurred in agricultural workers. Among men, increased risks were observed for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (HR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.00-1.21), prostate (HR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.06-1.16), melanoma (HR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.02-1.31), and lip cancer (HR = 2.14, 95% CI = 1.70-2.70). Decreased risks in males were observed for lung, larynx, and liver cancers. Among female agricultural workers there was an increased risk of pancreatic cancer (HR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.07-1.72). Increased risks of melanoma (HR = 1.79, 95% CI = 1.17-2.73), leukemia (HR = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.24-3.25) and multiple myeloma (HR = 2.25, 95% CI = 1.16-4.37) were observed in a subset of female crop farmers. Exposure to pesticides may have contributed to increased risks of hematopoietic cancers, while increased risks of lip cancer and melanoma may be attributed to sun exposure. The array of decreased risks suggests reduced smoking and alcohol consumption in this occupational group compared to the general population.
  [Kachuri L, Harris MA, MacLeod JS, et al. 2017. BMC Cancer. 17(1):343]
• Pesticide sales and adult male cancer mortality in Brazil.
  A study of pesticides sales in different parts of Brazil and cancer mortality rates a decade later finds a statistically significant correlation between pesticide sales with the mortality rates for leukemia and cancer of the lip, esophagus, pancreas, and prostate.
  [Chrisman, J.D., et al. 2009. Int J Hyg Environ Health ;212(3):310-21]
• Cancer incidence among farmers exposed to lindane while sheep dipping
  The objective of this study was to determine whether site-specific cancer incidence among farmers exposed to the insecticide lindane (g-hexachlorocyclohexane) while dipping sheep differs from that of the general population in Iceland.Cohorts of 7882 men and 429 women, who, according to records on sheep dipping, were sheep owners, were followed from 1962 to 2003 in the Cancer Registry for cancer incidence.For men the standardized incidence ratio (SIR) for all cancer sites was 0.79, with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of 0.76-0.83. For both the men and the women a significantly increased risk for lip cancer was found, with SIR of 1.50 (95% CI 1.08-2.04) and 9.09 (95% CI 1.02-32.82), respectively. Cancer of the lip was the only cancer type in significant excess among both genders, and the stomach cancer rates were near unity, but, in previous studies on Icelandic farmers, an increase had been found for stomach cancer. The site-specific cancer incidence for sheep-dipping farmers did not differ substantially from that of the general population.
  [Rafnsson V. 2006. Scand J Work Environ Health. 32(3):185-9.]
• Incidence of lip cancer in the male Norwegian agricultural population
  Study explored lip cancer (LC) associations with work environmental exposures in a record-linkage study of Norwegian farmers. A cohort of 131,243 male Norwegian farmers born 1925-1971 was established by cross-linkage of national registers and followed up through 1999 for incident LC, (ICD-7 site 140) in the Cancer Registry of Norway. Study identified 108 LC cases (rate 4.4 per 100,000 person-years) and found LC to be moderately associated with horses on the farm (RR = 1.6, CI = 1.0-2.4), construction work employment (RR = 1.7, CI = 1.1-2.6), pesticide use (RR = 0.7, CI = 0.4-1.0), grain production (RR = 1.3, CI = 0.9-2.1) and increasing levels of fungal forecasts (RR = 1.6, CI = 0.9-2.8 in the highest two quartiles).Moderate associations of LC with grain production and fungal forecasts and the negative association with pesticide could possibly be explained by exposure to immunosuppressive mycotoxins. Some of the associations observed could be explained by solar exposure.
  [Nordby KC, Andersen A, Kristensen P. 2004. Cancer Causes Control. 15(6):619-26.]
• Cancer mortality among Iowa farmers: recent results, time trends, and lifestyle factors (United States)
  To update the cancer mortality patterns among Iowa (United States) farmers for the years 1987-93 and compare these results with those previously reported for 1971-86 as well as relate the PMR patterns to risk-factor survey data. We extracted usual occupation and cause of death from 88,090 Iowa death certificates for White males aged 20 and older for the years 1987-93. Proportional mortality ratios (PMR), adjusted for age, and 95 percent confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using deaths among nonfarmers to generate expected numbers. We compared lifestyle profiles for farmers and nonfarmers using male controls (n = 1,596) from a population-based case-control study conducted in Iowa from 1986-89. Iowa farmers had deficit PMRs for all-cause cancer mortality (PMR = 0.92, CI = 0.90-0.94) and for lung (PMR = 0.70, CI = 0.66-0.73), liver (PMR = 0.65, CI = 0.50-0.86), and other cancer sites strongly related to smoking and alcohol use. Farmers at all ages had excess deaths for cancers of the prostate (PMR = 1.26, CI = 1.19-1.33), rectum (PMR = 1.29, CI = 1.07-1.56), brain (PMR = 1.10, CI = 0.92-1.32), multiple myeloma (PMR = 1.17, CI = 0.98-1.40), non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (PMR = 1.09, CI = 0.96-1.23), and Hodgkin's disease (PMR = 1.62, CI = 1.04-2.54). Younger farmers (aged 20 to 64 years) had excess deaths for colon cancer (PMR = 1.52, CI =1.26-1.85) and skin melanoma (PMR = 1.60, CI = 1.07-2.38), while older farmers (aged 65+ years) had excess deaths for cancers of the pancreas (PMR = 1.18, CI = 1.04-1.34), lip (PMR = 1.58, CI = 0.59-4.21), and leukemia (PMR = 1.26, CI = 1.09-1.46). Since the 1970s, the PMR for stomach cancer has declined to expected values, while the PMRs for prostate, large intestine, pancreas, and Hodgkin's disease have increased; PMRs for other sites are consistent with earlier data. A survey from 1986-89 showed that farmers, compared with nonfarmers, smoked less, used less alcohol, had less formal education, and consumed more total calories, and calories from protein, fat, and meat while consuming fewer calories from fruits and vegetables. Iowa farmers continue to be at elevated risk of mortality due to certain cancers, and, of particular interest, the risk for prostate and colon cancer appears to be increasing since 1970.
  [Cerhan, J.R., et al. 1998. Cancer Causes Control 9(3):311-319.]
• Swedish agricultural workers: A group with a decreased risk of cancer
  A Swedish study based on a cancer registry of agricultural workers finds an increased risk of cancer of the lip by a factor of greater than 2.
  [Wiklund, K. 1983. Cancer 51(3):566-568.]

Mouth Cancer

• Cancer of the mouth and pharynx, occupation and exposure to chemical agents in Finland (1971-95)
  The objective of this article was to find associations between cancer of the mouth and pharynx, occupation and chemical exposure. A cohort of Finns born between 1906 and 1945 was followed-up for 46.8 (21.5 in males and 25.3 in females) million person-years during 1971-95. Incident cases of cancer of the mouth and pharynx (n = 2,708) were identified in a record linkage with the Finnish Cancer Registry. The Census occupations in 1970 were converted to chemical exposures with a job-exposure matrix (FINJEM). Cumulative exposure (CE) was calculated as the product of prevalence, level and duration of the exposure. Standardized incidence ratio (SIR) was calculated for each of the 393 occupations, and for CE categories of the 43 chemical agents, using total Finnish population as reference. Relative risks (RR) comparing various CE-categories with unexposed ones were defined for selected agents by Poisson regression analysis. Elevated SIRs were observed among lawyers, authors, journalists, performing artists, musicians, electronics and telefitters, painters (building), building hands, dockers, unskilled labourers and hotel porters in males and private secretaries, dressmakers, shoemakers and cobblers, waiters, pursers and stewardesses in females. The multivariate analyses showed high RRs for high exposure to aliphatic and alicyclic hydrocarbons, pesticides and alcohol. In conclusion, occupations with high SIRs were mostly the ones with high consumption of alcohol. Exposure to solvents and possibly to pesticides, engine exhaust, textile dust and leather dust may increase the risk of cancer of mouth and pharynx.
  [Tarvainen, L., et al. 2008. Int J Cancer 123(3):653-659.]

Sinonasal Cancer

• Genotoxicity studies on permethrin, DEET and diazinon in primary human nasal mucosal cells
  Possible genotoxic effects exerted by three widely used pesticides, permethrin, N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) and diazinon, in primary human nasal mucosal cells were investigated. Primary nasal mucosa cells were prepared from tissue biopsies taken from 21 patients who underwent nasal surgery. Cells were exposed to 0.5-1.0 mM concentrations of permethrin, DEET and diazinon for 60 min. Genotoxic effects were detected by the alkaline microgel electrophoresis assay ("comet assay"). Within the concentration range, no significant cytotoxic effects were observed, but all three tested pesticides showed a significant genotoxic response that was concentration dependent. More pronounced genotoxic effects were observed in mucosal cells from the middle turbinate than in the inferior turbinate. The results provide some evidence for the potential carcinogenicity of these agents to human nasal mucosal cells. This should be further investigated.
  [Tisch, M., et al. 2002. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 259:150-153.]