Pesticide exposure in farming and forestry and the risk of uveal melanoma

Thomas Behrens; Elsebeth Lynge; Ian Cree; Jean-Michel Lutz; Mikael Eriksson; Pascal Guénel; Franco Merletti; Maria Morales-Suarez-Varela; Noemia Afonso; Aivars Stengrevics; Joëlle Févotte; Svend Sabroe; Agustin Llopis-González; Giuseppe Gorini; Lennart Hardell; Andreas Stang; Wolfgang Ahrens

doi:10.1007/s10552-011-9863-z

Pesticide exposure in farming and forestry and the risk of uveal melanoma

Thomas Behrens, Elsebeth Lynge, Ian Cree, Jean-Michel Lutz, Mikael Eriksson, Pascal Guénel, Franco Merletti, Maria Morales-Suarez-Varela, Noemia Afonso, Aivars Stengrevics, Joëlle Févotte, Svend Sabroe, Agustin Llopis-González, Giuseppe Gorini, Lennart Hardell, Andreas Stang, Wolfgang Ahrens

Center of Epidemiology and Screening

12 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Purpose: Since pesticides are disputed risk factors for uveal melanoma, we studied the association between occupational pesticide exposure and uveal melanoma risk in a case-control study from nine European countries. Methods: Incident cases of uveal melanoma and population as well as hospital controls were included and frequency-matched by country, 5-year age groups and sex. Self-reported exposure was quantified with respect to duration of exposure and pesticide application method. We calculated the exposure intensity level based on application method and use of personal protective equipment. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated by unconditional logistic regression analyses and adjusted for several potential confounders. Results: 293 case and 3,198 control subjects were interviewed. We did not identify positive associations with activities in farming or forestry, pesticide application or pesticide mixing. No consistent positive associations were seen with exposure intensity level scores either. The only statistically significantly raised association in this study was for exposure to chemical fertilizers in forestry (OR = 8.93; 95% CI 1.73-42.13), but this observation was based on only six exposed subjects. Results did not change when we restricted analyses to morphologically verified cases and excluded proxy interviews as well as cancer controls. We did not observe effect modification by sex or eye color. Conclusions: Risk estimates for pesticide exposures and occupational activities in agriculture and forestry were not increased and did not indicate a hormonal mechanism due to these exposures.

Original language	English
Journal	Cancer causes & control : CCC
Volume	23
Issue number	1
Pages (from-to)	141-51
Number of pages	11
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-011-9863-z
Publication status	Published - Jan 2012

Keywords

Agriculture
Europe
Female
Forestry
Humans
Incidence
Male
Melanoma
Middle Aged
Occupational Diseases
Occupational Exposure
Pesticides
Risk Factors
Uveal Neoplasms

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1007/s10552-011-9863-z

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Behrens, T., Lynge, E., Cree, I., Lutz, J-M., Eriksson, M., Guénel, P., Merletti, F., Morales-Suarez-Varela, M., Afonso, N., Stengrevics, A., Févotte, J., Sabroe, S., Llopis-González, A., Gorini, G., Hardell, L., Stang, A., & Ahrens, W. (2012). Pesticide exposure in farming and forestry and the risk of uveal melanoma. Cancer causes & control : CCC, 23(1), 141-51. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-011-9863-z

Behrens, T, Lynge, E, Cree, I, Lutz, J-M, Eriksson, M, Guénel, P, Merletti, F, Morales-Suarez-Varela, M, Afonso, N, Stengrevics, A, Févotte, J, Sabroe, S, Llopis-González, A, Gorini, G, Hardell, L, Stang, A & Ahrens, W 2012, 'Pesticide exposure in farming and forestry and the risk of uveal melanoma', Cancer causes & control : CCC, vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 141-51. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-011-9863-z

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abstract = "Purpose: Since pesticides are disputed risk factors for uveal melanoma, we studied the association between occupational pesticide exposure and uveal melanoma risk in a case-control study from nine European countries. Methods: Incident cases of uveal melanoma and population as well as hospital controls were included and frequency-matched by country, 5-year age groups and sex. Self-reported exposure was quantified with respect to duration of exposure and pesticide application method. We calculated the exposure intensity level based on application method and use of personal protective equipment. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated by unconditional logistic regression analyses and adjusted for several potential confounders. Results: 293 case and 3,198 control subjects were interviewed. We did not identify positive associations with activities in farming or forestry, pesticide application or pesticide mixing. No consistent positive associations were seen with exposure intensity level scores either. The only statistically significantly raised association in this study was for exposure to chemical fertilizers in forestry (OR = 8.93; 95% CI 1.73-42.13), but this observation was based on only six exposed subjects. Results did not change when we restricted analyses to morphologically verified cases and excluded proxy interviews as well as cancer controls. We did not observe effect modification by sex or eye color. Conclusions: Risk estimates for pesticide exposures and occupational activities in agriculture and forestry were not increased and did not indicate a hormonal mechanism due to these exposures.",

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year = "2012",

month = jan,

doi = "10.1007/s10552-011-9863-z",

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T1 - Pesticide exposure in farming and forestry and the risk of uveal melanoma

AU - Behrens, Thomas

AU - Lynge, Elsebeth

AU - Cree, Ian

AU - Lutz, Jean-Michel

AU - Eriksson, Mikael

AU - Guénel, Pascal

AU - Merletti, Franco

AU - Morales-Suarez-Varela, Maria

AU - Afonso, Noemia

AU - Stengrevics, Aivars

AU - Févotte, Joëlle

AU - Sabroe, Svend

AU - Llopis-González, Agustin

AU - Gorini, Giuseppe

AU - Hardell, Lennart

AU - Stang, Andreas

AU - Ahrens, Wolfgang

PY - 2012/1

Y1 - 2012/1

N2 - Purpose: Since pesticides are disputed risk factors for uveal melanoma, we studied the association between occupational pesticide exposure and uveal melanoma risk in a case-control study from nine European countries. Methods: Incident cases of uveal melanoma and population as well as hospital controls were included and frequency-matched by country, 5-year age groups and sex. Self-reported exposure was quantified with respect to duration of exposure and pesticide application method. We calculated the exposure intensity level based on application method and use of personal protective equipment. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated by unconditional logistic regression analyses and adjusted for several potential confounders. Results: 293 case and 3,198 control subjects were interviewed. We did not identify positive associations with activities in farming or forestry, pesticide application or pesticide mixing. No consistent positive associations were seen with exposure intensity level scores either. The only statistically significantly raised association in this study was for exposure to chemical fertilizers in forestry (OR = 8.93; 95% CI 1.73-42.13), but this observation was based on only six exposed subjects. Results did not change when we restricted analyses to morphologically verified cases and excluded proxy interviews as well as cancer controls. We did not observe effect modification by sex or eye color. Conclusions: Risk estimates for pesticide exposures and occupational activities in agriculture and forestry were not increased and did not indicate a hormonal mechanism due to these exposures.

AB - Purpose: Since pesticides are disputed risk factors for uveal melanoma, we studied the association between occupational pesticide exposure and uveal melanoma risk in a case-control study from nine European countries. Methods: Incident cases of uveal melanoma and population as well as hospital controls were included and frequency-matched by country, 5-year age groups and sex. Self-reported exposure was quantified with respect to duration of exposure and pesticide application method. We calculated the exposure intensity level based on application method and use of personal protective equipment. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated by unconditional logistic regression analyses and adjusted for several potential confounders. Results: 293 case and 3,198 control subjects were interviewed. We did not identify positive associations with activities in farming or forestry, pesticide application or pesticide mixing. No consistent positive associations were seen with exposure intensity level scores either. The only statistically significantly raised association in this study was for exposure to chemical fertilizers in forestry (OR = 8.93; 95% CI 1.73-42.13), but this observation was based on only six exposed subjects. Results did not change when we restricted analyses to morphologically verified cases and excluded proxy interviews as well as cancer controls. We did not observe effect modification by sex or eye color. Conclusions: Risk estimates for pesticide exposures and occupational activities in agriculture and forestry were not increased and did not indicate a hormonal mechanism due to these exposures.

KW - Agriculture

KW - Europe

KW - Female

KW - Forestry

KW - Humans

KW - Incidence

KW - Male

KW - Melanoma

KW - Middle Aged

KW - Occupational Diseases

KW - Occupational Exposure

KW - Pesticides

KW - Risk Factors

KW - Uveal Neoplasms

U2 - 10.1007/s10552-011-9863-z

DO - 10.1007/s10552-011-9863-z

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 22052342

SN - 0957-5243

VL - 23

SP - 141

EP - 151

JO - Cancer Causes & Control

JF - Cancer Causes & Control

IS - 1

ER -

Pesticide exposure in farming and forestry and the risk of uveal melanoma

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

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