Journal article
The Biomarkers of Exposure and Effect in Agriculture (BEEA) Study: Rationale, Design, Methods, and Participant Characteristics
Journal of toxicology and environmental health. Part A, Vol.78(21-22), pp.1338-1347
2015
DOI: 10.1080/15287394.2015.1091414
PMCID: PMC4674328
PMID: 26555155
Abstract
Agricultural exposures including pesticides, endotoxin, and allergens have been associated with risk of various cancers and other chronic diseases, although the biological mechanisms underlying these associations are generally unclear. To facilitate future molecular epidemiologic investigations, in 2010 the study of Biomarkers of Exposure and Effect in Agriculture (BEEA) was initiated within the Agricultural Health Study, a large prospective cohort in Iowa and North Carolina. Here the design and methodology of BEEA are described and preliminary frequencies for participant characteristics and current agricultural exposures are reported. At least 1,600 male farmers over 50 years of age will be enrolled in the BEEA study. During a home visit, participants are asked to complete a detailed interview about recent agricultural exposures and provide samples of blood, urine, and (since 2013) house dust. As of mid-September 2014, in total, 1,233 participants have enrolled. Most of these participants (83%) were still farming at the time of interview. Among those still farming, the most commonly reported crops were corn (81%) and soybeans (74%), and the most frequently noted animals were beef cattle (35%) and hogs (13%). There were 861 (70%) participants who reported occupational pesticide use in the 12 months prior to interview; among these participants, the most frequently noted herbicides were glyphosate (83%) and 2,4-D (72%), and most commonly reported insecticides were malathion (21%), cyfluthrin (13%), and permethrin (12%). Molecular epidemiologic investigations within BEEA have the potential to yield important new insights into the biological mechanisms through which these or other agricultural exposures influence disease risk.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- The Biomarkers of Exposure and Effect in Agriculture (BEEA) Study: Rationale, Design, Methods, and Participant Characteristics
- Creators
- Jonathan N Hofmann - a Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics , National Cancer Institute , Bethesda , Maryland , USALaura E Beane Freeman - a Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics , National Cancer Institute , Bethesda , Maryland , USACharles F Lynch - b Department of Epidemiology , University of Iowa , Iowa City , Iowa , USAGabriella Andreotti - a Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics , National Cancer Institute , Bethesda , Maryland , USAKent W Thomas - c National Exposure Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park , North Carolina , USADale P Sandler - d Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park , North Carolina , USASharon A Savage - National Institutes of HealthMichael C Alavanja - a Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics , National Cancer Institute , Bethesda , Maryland , USA
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of toxicology and environmental health. Part A, Vol.78(21-22), pp.1338-1347
- DOI
- 10.1080/15287394.2015.1091414
- PMID
- 26555155
- PMCID
- PMC4674328
- NLM abbreviation
- J Toxicol Environ Health A
- ISSN
- 1528-7394
- eISSN
- 2381-3504
- Publisher
- England
- Grant note
- Z01 ES 049030 / NIEHS NIH HHS P30 ES005605 / NIEHS NIH HHS Z01 CP010119 / Intramural NIH HHS P30 CA086862 / NCI NIH HHS Z01 ES049030 / Intramural NIH HHS ZIA CP010119-16 / Intramural NIH HHS
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 2015
- Academic Unit
- Epidemiology
- Record Identifier
- 9983995115202771
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