ABSTRACT
A previous case-control study which utilised the occupational information available on the New Zealand Cancer Registry found an increased risk of multiple myeloma in agricultural workers consistent with previous findings in the United States. The findings are now presented for the second phase of the study which involved interviewing 76 cases of multiple myeloma (who had been included in the previous study) together with 315 controls with other types of cancer. The previous finding on an excess of farmers in the case group was confirmed by the interview data (odds ratio = 1.7, 95% confidence limits 1.0-2.9, P = 0.04). There were no significant differences between cases and controls regarding potential exposure to phenoxy herbicides or chlorophenols. There were also no significant differences regarding activities involving potential exposure to other agricultural chemicals, although the odds ratio for fencing work, which may involve exposure to arsenic and sodium pentachlorophenate, was 1.6 (95% confidence limits 0.9-2.7, P = 0.11). The odds ratios were significantly elevated for sheep farming (odds ratio = 1.9, 95% confidence limits 1.0-3.6, P = 0.04) and exposure to beef cattle (odds ratio = 1.7, 95% confidence limits 1.0-2.9, P = 0.05). The odds ratio was also elevated for persons reporting a history of hay fever (odds ratio = 1.9, 95% confidence limits 1.0-3.5, P = 0.05). Overall, these findings suggest that the search for the causes of elevated mortality in farmers from multiple myeloma should be directed to potential causes other than pesticide exposure.
Subject(s)
Agricultural Workers' Diseases/etiology , Multiple Myeloma/etiology , Aged , Animals , Cattle , Chlorophenols/adverse effects , Herbicides/adverse effects , Humans , Hypersensitivity/complications , Male , New Zealand , SheepABSTRACT
A previous case-control study which used the occupational information available on the New Zealand Cancer Registry found that agricultural workers were at increased risk of developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The findings are now presented for the second phase of the study which entailed interviewing 83 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma registered under code 202 of the International Classification of Diseases together with 168 controls with other types of cancer and 228 general population controls. The findings for the two control groups were similar, and there were no significant differences between cases and controls regarding potential exposure to phenoxy-herbicides (odds ratio = 1.4, 90% confidence limits 0.7-2.5, p = 0.26) or chlorophenols (odds ratio = 1.3, 90% confidence limits 0.6-2.7, p = 0.39). The odds ratio for fencing work, necessitating exposure to several potential risk factors including arsenic and sodium pentachlorophenate was 2.0 (90% confidence limits 1.3-3.0, p = 0.01). The odds ratio for employment in a meat works, necessitating potential exposure to 2, 4, 6-trichlorophenol and zoonotic viruses, was 1.8 (90% confidence limits 1.1-3.1, p = 0.04). There was a significant statistical interaction between the risks associated with these two activities, the odds ratio for involvement in both activities compared with involvement in neither being 5.7 (90% confidence limits 2.3-14.3, p = 0.03).
Subject(s)
Agricultural Workers' Diseases/etiology , Chlorophenols/adverse effects , Glycolates/adverse effects , Herbicides/adverse effects , Lymphoma/etiology , Occupational Diseases/etiology , 2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxyacetic Acid/adverse effects , 2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxyacetic Acid/analogs & derivatives , Adult , Aged , Animals , Humans , Male , Meat-Packing Industry , Middle Aged , New Zealand , Risk , Skin , Wood , WoolABSTRACT
Phenoxyherbicides, including (2,4,5-trichlorophenoxy)acetic acid (CAS: 93-76-5), have been widely used in New Zealand for over 30 years. In the light of Swedish studies reporting an association between exposure to phenoxyherbicides or chlorophenols and soft tissue sarcoma, a case-control study was undertaken that involved interviewing 82 subjects (cases) with soft tissue sarcoma and 92 controls with other types of cancer. For those potentially exposed to phenoxyherbicides for more than 1 day not in the 5 years before cancer registration, the estimate of relative risk was 1.3, with 90% confidence limits of 0.6-2.5. The comparable relative risk estimate for chlorophenol exposure was 1.5, with 90% confidence limits of 0.5-4.5. The discovery of cases in trichlorophenol manufacturing plants in the United States lended support to the Swedish findings, but further studies are needed to conclude whether human exposure to these chemicals truly increases the risk of soft tissue sarcoma.