Hormone-dependent cancer and adverse reproductive outcomes in farmers' families

[Guest guest]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=PubMed & list_ui

ds=10994799 & dopt=Abstract

Scand J Work Environ Health 2000 Aug;26(4):331-7 Related Articles, Links

Hormone-dependent cancer and adverse reproductive outcomes in farmers'

families--effects of climatic conditions favoring fungal growth in grain.

sen P, Andersen A, Irgens LM.

National Institute of Occupational Health, Oslo, Norway.

petter.kristensen@...

OBJECTIVES: The impact of grain farming and climate on late-term abortion

among female farmers, male genital birth defects among their sons, and

hormone-dependent cancer among male and female farmers and their adult

children was investigated. METHODS: National registers were cross-matched in

Norway and 246,043 male and female farmers born in 1925-1971 were

identified, as were their 264,262 children, born in 1952-1980, in

agricultural censuses and in the population register. The subjects were

followed in the Cancer Register through 1995. Farmers' births, conceived in

1973-1991, were identified, and the prevalences of late-term abortion in

mothers and hypospadias and cryptorchidism in their sons at birth were

examined. Exposure, defined as the combination of grain farming and

categories of seasonal or cumulative warnings, was based on data in

agricultural censuses and on local, seasonal, field fungal warnings.

Estimated adjusted rate ratios or prevalence ratios served as the measures

of association.

RESULTS: Categories of high exposure were associated with reproductive

outcomes and cancer among female farmers, the strongest occurring for

late-term abortion (ratio 2.6, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.6-4.3).

Exposure associations for ovarian and breast cancer, and male genital

defects, were more moderate. Endometrial cancer was associated with grain

farming (ratio 2.0, 95% CI 1.4-2.8) across all levels of fungal warnings.

Exposure associations for cancer were strongest for premenopausal, parous

women. Exposure was not associated with cancer among male farmers or

children. CONCLUSIONS: Climatic conditions favoring fungal growth in grain

were associated with hormone-dependent adverse outcomes among female

farmers; the results are consistent with hormonal effects of inhaled

mycotoxins during pregnancy.

PMID: 10994799 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]