Incidence of solid tumours among pesticide applicators exposed to the organophosphate insecticide diazinon in the Agricultural Health Study: an updated analysis. Issue 7 (23rd April 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jones, Rena R; Barone-Adesi, Francesco; Koutros, Stella; Lerro, Catherine C; Blair, Aaron; Lubin, Jay; Heltshe, Sonya L; Hoppin, Jane A; Alavanja, Michael C R; Beane Freeman, Laura E
• Is Part Of: Occupational and environmental medicine. Volume 72:Issue 7(2015)
• Page Start: 496
• Page End: 503
• Publication Date: 2015-04-23
• Subjects: diazinon -- insecticides -- organophosphate -- neoplasms; Medicine, Industrial -- Periodicals; Environmental health -- Periodicals; 616.980305
• DOI: 10.1136/oemed-2014-102728
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1351-0711

Abstract

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; Ptrend =0.02) and IW days of diazinon use (RR=1.41; 95% CI 0.98 to 2.04; Ptrend =0.08). Kidney cancer (N=94) risks were non-significantly elevated (RRLT days =1.77; 95% CI 0.90 to 3.51; Ptrend =0.09; RRIW days 1.37; 95% CI 0.64 to 2.92; Ptrend =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.