ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER Use of agricultural pesticides and prostate cancer risk in the agricultural health study cohort. Alavanja, M. C. R. et al. The Agricultural Health Study (AHS) has been following nearly 90,000 people in North Carolina and Iowa since 1993, to assess the role of various environmental, occupational, dietary and genetic factors on the health of the agricultural population. Researchers from the three sponsoring organizations of the study — the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the Environmental Protection Agency — and other collaborators, have evaluated the relationship between 45 pesticides and the incidence of prostate cancer in more than 55,000 men who use pesticides and participated in the AHS. These men are mostly farmers or nursery workers and had no history of prostate cancer. Between 1993 and 1999, 566 new prostate cancers developed, compared with 495 that were predicted to occur in the general population — giving a standardized incidence ratio of 1.14. This ratio was higher (1.41) among the minority of men who work for commercial pest-control industries than among private users of pesticides (1.13). Although farming has been the most consistent occupational risk factor for prostate cancer, the role of specific chemicals has not been established, largely because previous studies have not had the statistical power to draw firm conclusions. In this large study, one pesticide in particular, methyl bromide — which is used extensively in the United States to protect crops from pests in the soil and to fumigate grain bins — was associated with increased prostate cancer risk. The risk of cancer increased with frequency of use — men with the highest frequency of use had an odds ratio of 4.39. In addition, the risk of cancer increased with longer lifetime exposure to the chemical — men with the highest exposure to methyl bromide had an odds ratio of 2.63. As expected, there was an association between age, family history and the incidence of prostate cancer. The authors also found a significant association between exposure to six specific pesticides — four of which belong to the thiophosphonate class of chemicals — and prostate cancer in those with a family history of the disease, but not among those with no family history. These data indicate that familial genes might enhance susceptibility or that family members are exposed to the same environment. The AHS has so far had an average of 4.3 years follow-up — longer follow-up will help confirm these findings. Am. J. Epidemiol. 157, 800–814 (2003) Source for this article: Nature Reviews Cancer Trial Watch, 6/03 Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.