Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia in Egyptian farm workers exposed to pesticides.
We aimed to explore the relationship between chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and pesticide exposure among farm workers. Blood samples were obtained from 932 male Egyptian farm workers exposed to pesticides and from a control group of 932 males of similar age and socioeconomic status who were not involved in farming and did not normally deal with pesticides. The farm workers had significantly higher lymphocyte, white blood corpuscle and platelet counts. About 5% of the farm workers over 40 years had immature cells. Two of the farm workers and none of the control group had chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, giving an undefined relative risk and an attributable risk of 2.1 per 1000, which was not statistically significant.
el-Sadek
W Y
WY
Haematology Department, University of Alexandria, Egypt.
Hassan
M H
MH
D000328:Adult; D000382:Agricultural Workers' Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016002:Discriminant Analysis; D004534:Egypt; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D015451:Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008297:Male; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010575:Pesticides / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010976:Platelet Count; D012307:Risk Factors
D006454:Hemoglobins; D010575:Pesticides