title: Multiple myeloma and glyphosate use: a re-analysis of US Agricultural Health Study (AHS) data.
abstract: A previous publication of 57,311 pesticide applicators enrolled in the US Agricultural Health Study (AHS) produced disparate findings in relation to multiple myeloma risks in the period 1993-2001 and ever-use of glyphosate (32 cases of multiple myeloma in the full dataset of 54,315 applicators without adjustment for other variables: rate ratio (RR) 1.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.5 to 2.4; 22 cases of multiple myeloma in restricted dataset of 40,719 applicators with adjustment for other variables: RR 2.6, 95% CI 0.7 to 9.4). It seemed important to determine which result should be preferred. RRs for exposed and non-exposed subjects were calculated using Poisson regression; subjects with missing data were not excluded from the main analyses. Using the full dataset adjusted for age and gender the analysis produced a RR of 1.12 (95% CI 0.50 to 2.49) for ever-use of glyphosate. Additional adjustment for lifestyle factors and use of ten other pesticides had little effect (RR 1.24, 95% CI 0.52 to 2.94). There were no statistically significant trends for multiple myeloma risks in relation to reported cumulative days (or intensity weighted days) of glyphosate use. The doubling of risk reported previously arose from the use of an unrepresentative restricted dataset and analyses of the full dataset provides no convincing evidence in the AHS for a link between multiple myeloma risk and glyphosate use.
authors: Institute of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK. T.M.Sorahan@bham.ac.uk.
authors: Tom
authors: T
authors: Sorahan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000382:Agricultural Workers' Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005998:Glycine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000633:toxicity; D006306:Health Surveys; D006540:Herbicides / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000139:chemically induced*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014481:United States; D000097797:Glyphosate
chemical_list: D005998:Glycine; D006540:Herbicides; D000097797:Glyphosate
references: Environ Health Perspect. 2005 Jan;113(1):49-54
references: 15626647
references: IARC Monogr Eval Carcinog Risks Hum. 2012;100(Pt E):1-538
references: 23193840
references: Am J Ind Med. 1997 Nov;32(5):510-6
references: 9327075
references: IARC Monogr Eval Carcinog Risks Hum. 2012;100(Pt C):11-465
references: 23189751
references: Environ Health Perspect. 2005 Jun;113(6):A365-6; author reply A366-7
references: 15929876
references: J Agromedicine. 2012 Jan;17(1):40-50
references: 22191502
references: Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2000 Apr;31(2 Pt 1):117-65
references: 10854122
references: Environ Health Perspect. 1996 Apr;104(4):362-9
references: 8732939
references: Environ Health Perspect. 2010 Aug;118(8):1117-25
references: 20444670
references: IARC Monogr Eval Carcinog Risks Hum. 2012;100(Pt F):9-562
references: 23189753
references: J Occup Environ Med. 2010 Nov;52(11):1098-105
references: 21063187
references: Int J Cancer. 2013 Oct 15;133(8):1846-58
references: 23564249
references: J Occup Med Toxicol. 2008 Nov 17;3:27
references: 19014617
references: Cancer Epidemiol. 2013 Jun;37(3):300-5
references: 23403129
references: IARC Sci Publ. 1987;(82):1-406
references: 3329634