CISDOC - Mortality in a cohort of licenced pesticide applicators in Florida
Author(s) Feming L.E., Bean J.A., Rudolph M, Hamilton K.
Title Mortality in a cohort of licenced pesticide applicators in Florida
Abstract In this retrospective cohort study, analysed by general standardised mortality ratio, licenced pesticide applicators in Florida were compared with the general population of Florida. A cohort of 33,658 (10% female) licenced pesticide applicators assembled through extensive data linkages yielded 1874 deaths with 320,250 person-years from 1 January 1975 to 31 December 1993. Consistent with previous publications on farmers but at odds with current theories about the protective effects of vitamin D, male prostate cancer was significantly increased in these pesticide applicators. Female cervical cancer and breast cancer were not increased despite theories linking risk of breast cancer with exposure to oestrogen disruptors, such as the organochlorines. The lack of cases of soft tissue sarcoma is at odds with previous publications associating the use of the phenoxy herbicides with an increased risk of these cancers. Topics: agriculture; breast cancer; vitamin D; chlorinated organic compounds; cohort study; frequency rates; mortality; pesticide spraying; pesticides; prostatic cancer; sex-linked differences; uterine cancer.
Descriptors (primary) mortality; pesticide spraying; agriculture; pesticides
Descriptors (secondary) chlorinated organic compounds; vitamin D; prostatic cancer; frequency rates; breast cancer; cohort study; sex-linked differences; uterine cancer