Glyphosate Use and Cancer Incidence in the Agricultural Health Study

Gabriella Andreotti; Stella Koutros; Jonathan N Hofmann; Dale P Sandler; Jay H Lubin; Charles F Lynch; Catherine C Lerro; Anneclaire J De Roos; Christine G Parks; Michael C Alavanja; Debra T Silverman; Laura E Beane Freeman

doi:10.1093/jnci/djx233

Back

Glyphosate Use and Cancer Incidence in the Agricultural Health Study

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Glyphosate Use and Cancer Incidence in the Agricultural Health Study

Gabriella Andreotti, Stella Koutros, Jonathan N Hofmann, Dale P Sandler, Jay H Lubin, Charles F Lynch, Catherine C Lerro, Anneclaire J De Roos, Christine G Parks, Michael C Alavanja, …

JNCI : Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol.110(5), pp.509-516

05/01/2018

DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djx233

PMCID: PMC6279255

PMID: 29136183

Files and links (1)

url

https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djx233View

Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Glyphosate is the most commonly used herbicide worldwide, with both residential and agricultural uses. In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic to humans," noting strong mechanistic evidence and positive associations for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in some epidemiologic studies. A previous evaluation in the Agricultural Health Study (AHS) with follow-up through 2001 found no statistically significant associations with glyphosate use and cancer at any site. The AHS is a prospective cohort of licensed pesticide applicators from North Carolina and Iowa. Here, we updated the previous evaluation of glyphosate with cancer incidence from registry linkages through 2012 (North Carolina)/2013 (Iowa). Lifetime days and intensity-weighted lifetime days of glyphosate use were based on self-reported information from enrollment (1993-1997) and follow-up questionnaires (1999-2005). We estimated incidence rate ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using Poisson regression, controlling for potential confounders, including use of other pesticides. All statistical tests were two-sided. Among 54 251 applicators, 44 932 (82.8%) used glyphosate, including 5779 incident cancer cases (79.3% of all cases). In unlagged analyses, glyphosate was not statistically significantly associated with cancer at any site. However, among applicators in the highest exposure quartile, there was an increased risk of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) compared with never users (RR = 2.44, 95% CI = 0.94 to 6.32, Ptrend = .11), though this association was not statistically significant. Results for AML were similar with a five-year (RRQuartile 4 = 2.32, 95% CI = 0.98 to 5.51, Ptrend = .07) and 20-year exposure lag (RRTertile 3 = 2.04, 95% CI = 1.05 to 3.97, Ptrend = .04). In this large, prospective cohort study, no association was apparent between glyphosate and any solid tumors or lymphoid malignancies overall, including NHL and its subtypes. There was some evidence of increased risk of AML among the highest exposed group that requires confirmation.

Glycine - analogs & derivatives

Humans

Middle Aged

Agricultural Workers' Diseases - epidemiology

Farmers - statistics & numerical data

Male

Herbicides - pharmacology

Incidence

Young Adult

Occupational Health - statistics & numerical data

Glycine - pharmacology

Aged, 80 and over

Adult

Female

Iowa - epidemiology

Aged

Agriculture

North Carolina - epidemiology

Neoplasms - epidemiology

Occupational Exposure - statistics & numerical data

Cohort Studies

Details

Title: Subtitle: Glyphosate Use and Cancer Incidence in the Agricultural Health Study
Creators: Gabriella Andreotti - Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch
Stella Koutros - Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch
Jonathan N Hofmann - Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch
Dale P Sandler - Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, NC
Jay H Lubin - Biostatistics Branch
Charles F Lynch - State Health Registry of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
Catherine C Lerro - Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch
Anneclaire J De Roos - Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health, Philadelphia, PA
Christine G Parks - Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, NC
Michael C Alavanja - Formerly of Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch
Debra T Silverman - Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch
Laura E Beane Freeman - Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: JNCI : Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol.110(5), pp.509-516
DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djx233
PMID: 29136183
PMCID: PMC6279255
NLM abbreviation: J Natl Cancer Inst
ISSN: 1460-2105
eISSN: 1460-2105
Publisher: Oxford University Press; United States
Grant note: P30 ES005605 / NIEHS NIH HHS Z01 ES049030 / NIEHS NIH HHS P30 CA086862 / NCI NIH HHS Z01 CP010119 / NCI NIH HHS
Language: English
Date published: 05/01/2018
Academic Unit: Epidemiology
Record Identifier: 9983996058302771

Metrics

13 Record Views

195 Times Cited - Web of Science