Characteristics of Pesticide Use in a Pesticide Applicator Cohort: The Agricultural Health Study

Michael C.R Alavanja; Dale P Sandler; Cheryl J McDonnell; Charles F Lynch; Margaret Pennybacker; Shelia Hoar Zahm; David T Mage; William C Steen; Wendy Wintersteen; Aaron Blair

doi:10.1006/enrs.1998.3888

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Characteristics of Pesticide Use in a Pesticide Applicator Cohort: The Agricultural Health Study

Journal article

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Characteristics of Pesticide Use in a Pesticide Applicator Cohort: The Agricultural Health Study

Michael C.R Alavanja, Dale P Sandler, Cheryl J McDonnell, Charles F Lynch, Margaret Pennybacker, Shelia Hoar Zahm, David T Mage, William C Steen, Wendy Wintersteen and Aaron Blair

Environmental research, Vol.80(2), pp.172-179

02/1999

DOI: 10.1006/enrs.1998.3888

PMID: 10092410

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Abstract

Data on recent and historic pesticide use, pesticide application methods, and farm characteristics were collected from 35,879 restricted-use pesticide applicators in the first 2 years of the Agricultural Health Study, a prospective study of a large cohort of private and commercial licensed pesticide applicators that is being conducted in Iowa and North Carolina. (In Iowa, applicators are actually “certified,” while in North Carolina they are “licensed”; for ease of reference the term license will be used for both states in this paper.) Commercial applicators (studied in Iowa only) apply pesticides more days per year than private applicators in either state. When the types of pesticides being used by different groups are compared using the Spearman coefficient of determination (r2), we find that Iowa private and Iowa commercial applicators tend to use the same type of pesticides (r2=0.88). White and nonwhite private applicators tended to use the same type of pesticides (North Carolinar2=0.89), as did male and female private applicators (Iowar2=0.85 and North Carolinar2=0.84). There was less similarity (r2=0.50) between the types of pesticides being used by Iowa and North Carolina private applicators. A greater portion of Iowa private applicators use personal protective equipment than do North Carolina private applicators, and pesticide application methods varied by state. This heterogeneity in potential exposures to pesticides between states should be useful for subsequent epidemiologic analyses using internal comparison groups.

cancers

noncancer toxicity

farmers

pesticides

occupational exposure

Details

Title: Subtitle: Characteristics of Pesticide Use in a Pesticide Applicator Cohort: The Agricultural Health Study
Creators: Michael C.R Alavanja - Epidemiology and Biostatistics Program, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, Z0892
Dale P Sandler - Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
Cheryl J McDonnell - SRA Technologies, Inc. Falls Church, Virginia
Charles F Lynch - University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
Margaret Pennybacker - Battelle/Survey Research Associates, Durham, North Carolina
Shelia Hoar Zahm - Epidemiology and Biostatistics Program, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, Z0892
David T Mage - Environmental Protection Agency at Research Triangle Park, North Corolina
William C Steen - Environmental Protection Agency in Athens, Georgia
Wendy Wintersteen - Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
Aaron Blair - Epidemiology and Biostatistics Program, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, Z0892
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Environmental research, Vol.80(2), pp.172-179
DOI: 10.1006/enrs.1998.3888
PMID: 10092410
NLM abbreviation: Environ Res
ISSN: 0013-9351
eISSN: 1096-0953
Publisher: Elsevier Inc
Language: English
Date published: 02/1999
Academic Unit: Epidemiology
Record Identifier: 9983995022602771

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