title: Use of acetochlor and cancer incidence in the Agricultural Health Study.
abstract: Since its registration in 1994 acetochlor has become a commonly used herbicide in the US, yet no epidemiologic study has evaluated its carcinogenicity in humans. We evaluated the use of acetochlor and cancer incidence among licensed pesticide applicators in the Agricultural Health Study. In telephone interviews administered during 1999-2005, participants provided information on acetochlor use, use of other pesticides and additional potential confounders. We used Poisson regression to estimate relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for cancers that occurred from the time of interview through 2011 in Iowa and 2010 in North Carolina. Among 33,484 men, there were 4,026 applicators who used acetochlor and 3,234 incident cancers, with 304 acetochlor-exposed cases. Increased risk of lung cancer was observed among acetochlor users (RR = 1.74; 95% CI: 1.07-2.84) compared to nonusers, and among individuals who reported using acetochlor/atrazine product mixtures (RR = 2.33; 95% CI: 1.30-4.17), compared to nonusers of acetochlor. Colorectal cancer risk was significantly elevated among the highest category of acetochlor users (RR = 1.75; 95% CI: 1.08-2.83) compared to never users. Additionally, borderline significantly increased risk of melanoma (RR = 1.61; 95% CI: 0.98-2.66) and pancreatic cancer (RR = 2.36; 95% CI: 0.98-5.65) were observed among acetochlor users. The associations between acetochlor use and lung cancer, colorectal cancer, melanoma and pancreatic cancer are suggestive, however the lack of exposure-response trends, small number of exposed cases and relatively short time between acetochlor use and cancer development prohibit definitive conclusions.
authors.affiliation: Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD.|Environmental Health Sciences Department, Yale University School of Public Health, New Haven, CT.
authors.forename: Catherine C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Lerro
authors.affiliation: Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD.
authors.forename: Stella
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koutros
authors.affiliation: Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD.
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Andreotti
authors.affiliation: Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Heath, Cincinnati, OH.
authors.forename: Cynthia J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Hines
authors.affiliation: Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD.
authors.forename: Aaron
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Blair
authors.affiliation: Biostatistics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD.
authors.forename: Jay
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lubin
authors.affiliation: Chronic Disease Epidemiology Department, Yale University School of Public Health, New Haven, CT.
authors.forename: Xiaomei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Sciences Department, Yale University School of Public Health, New Haven, CT.
authors.forename: Yawei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD.
authors.forename: Laura E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Beane Freeman
mesh_terms: D000382:Agricultural Workers' Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001280:Atrazine / Q000009:adverse effects; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology; D006540:Herbicides / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007484:Iowa / Q000453:epidemiology; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009657:North Carolina / Q000453:epidemiology; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014052:Toluidines / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D006540:Herbicides; D014052:Toluidines; C043377:acetochlor; D001280:Atrazine
keywords: Agricultural Health Study; acetochlor; cancer; pesticides