Prolonged exposure to some agricultural pesticides may increase the risk of lung cancer in agricultural workers

Question

Does exposure to agricultural pesticides increase the risk of lung cancer?

Study design

Cohort study

Main results

Four of the most commonly used agricultural pesticides (diazinon, dieldrin, metalochlor and pendimethalin) significantly increased the risk of lung cancer in people with the greatest exposure, compared with people who had no exposure (see results table). Three other commonly used pesticides (carbofuran, chlorpyrifos, and dicamba) also increased the risk of lung cancer, but the results were not statistically significant (see results table).There were insufficient numbers of spouses with lung cancer who were directly exposed to specific pesticides to calculate any associated risk.

Authors’ conclusions

Prolonged exposure to the most commonly used agricultural pesticides increased the risk of lung cancer in farmers and commercial pesticide users. However, this increased risk was only significant for prolonged exposure to diazinon, dieldrin, metalochlor and pendimethalin. It is important to note that the participants in this study were exposed to higher levels for longer periods than the general population, due to their professional, agricultural use of insecticides and herbicides.