Top

International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health

Published in:

01-01-2015 | Original Article

The AGRIculture and CANcer (AGRICAN) cohort study: enrollment and causes of death for the 2005–2009 period

Authors: Noémie Levêque-Morlais, Séverine Tual, Bénédicte Clin, Annie Adjemian, Isabelle Baldi, Pierre Lebailly

Published in: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health | Issue 1/2015

Abstract

Objective

To elaborate and describe a large prospective agricultural cohort including males and females in France with various agricultural activities and to study causes of death.

Methods

To date, few large prospective cohorts have been conducted among agricultural population. AGRIculture and CANcer cohort is a large prospective cohort of subjects in agriculture studying cancer among active and retired males and females, farm owners and workers, living in eleven areas of France with a population-based cancer registry.

Results

Enrollment was conducted from 2005 to 2007 with a postal questionnaire. In January 2008, 180,060 individuals (54 % males, 54 % farm owners, 50 % retired) were enrolled. Mortality was studied until December 2009 (605,956 person-years with standardized mortality ratio (SMR) by comparison with the general population of the areas. Over this period, 11,450 deaths 6,741 in men and 4,709 in women were observed, including 3,405 cancer-related deaths. SMRs were significantly reduced for global mortality (SMR = 0.68, 95 % CI 0.67–0.70 in males and SMR = 0.71, 95 % CI 0.69–0.73 in females) and for death by cancer (SMR = 0.67, 95 % CI 0.65, 0.70 in males and SMR = 0.76, 95 % C: 0.71, 0.80 in females). These results were mainly explained by less frequent smoking-related causes of death (lung cancer, cardiovascular diseases). Nonsignificant excesses of death were observed only for rheumatoid arthritis and arthrosis, suicides (in females), death for event of undetermined intent (in males) and breast cancer in male agricultural workers.

Conclusions

These first results are the first ones obtained in France based on a large prospective agricultural cohort showing that farmers would be in healthier condition than the general population.

Acquavella J, Olsen G, Cole P, Ireland B, Kaneene J, Schuman S et al (1998) Cancer among farmers: a meta-analysis. Ann Epidemiol 8:64–74CrossRef

Alavanja MC, Sandler DP, McMaster SB, Zahm SH, McDonnell CJ, Lynch CF et al (1996) Characteristics of pesticide use in a pesticide applicator cohort: the Agricultural Health Study. Environ Health Perspect 104:362–369CrossRef

Alavanja MC, Hoppin JA, Kamel F (2004) Health effects of chronic pesticide exposure: cancer and neurotoxicity. Annu Rev Public Health 25:155–197CrossRef

Alberghini V, Luberto F, Gobba F, Morelli C, Gori E, Tomesani N (1991) Mortality among male farmers licensed to use pesticides. Med Lav 82:18–24

Blair A, Beane Freeman L (2009) Epidemiologic studies of cancer in agricultural populations: observations and future directions. J Agromed 14:125–131CrossRef

Blair A, Zahm SH, Pearce NE, Heineman EF, Fraumeni JF Jr (1992) Clues to cancer etiology from studies of farmers. Scand J Work Environ Health 18:209–215CrossRef

Blair A, Dosemeci M, Heineman EF (1993) Cancer and other causes of death among male and female farmers from twenty-three states. Am J Ind Med 23:729–742CrossRef

Blair A, Sandler DP, Tarone R, Lubin J, Thomas K, Hoppin JA et al (2005) Mortality among participants in the Agricultural Health Study. Ann Epidemiol 15:279–285CrossRef

Breslow N, Day N (eds) (1987) Statistical methods in cancer research: vol II: The design and analysis of cohort studies 1987. International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, pp 69–93

Burmeister LF (1981) Cancer mortality in Iowa farmers, 1971–78. J Natl Cancer Inst 66:461–464

Cerhan JR, Cantor KP, Williamson K, Lynch CF, Torner JC, Burmeister LF (1998) Cancer mortality among Iowa farmers: recent results, time trends, and lifestyle factors (United States). Cancer Causes Control 9:311–319CrossRef

Charles MA, Eschwege E, Basdevant A (2008) Monitoring of obesity epidemic in France: the Obepi surveys 1997–2006. Obesity 16:2182–2186CrossRef

Clavel-Chapelon F, Van Liere MJ, Giubout C, Niravong MY, Goulard H, Le Corre C et al (1997) E3 N, a French cohort study on cancer risk factors. E3 N Group. Etude Epidémiologique auprès de femmes de l’Education Nationale. Eur J Cancer Prev 6:473–478CrossRef

De Roos AJ, Cooper GS, Alavanja MC, Sandler DP (2005) Rheumatoid arthritis among women in the Agricultural Health Study: risk associated with farming activities and exposures. Ann Epidemiol 15:762–770CrossRef

Delzell E, Grufferman S (1985) Mortality among white and nonwhite farmers in north Carolina, 1976–1978. Am J Epidemiol 121:391–402

Dreiher J, Kordysh E (2006) Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and pesticide exposure: 25 years of research. Acta Haematol 116:153–164CrossRef

Fleming LE, Bean JA, Rudolph M, Hamilton K (1999) Mortality in a cohort of licensed pesticide applicators in Florida. Occup Environ Med 56:14–21CrossRef

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2011) The state of food and agriculture 2010–11. Food and Agriculture Organization (http://www.fao.org/publications/sofa/en/). Accessed 20 June 2012

Fragar L, Depczynski J, Lower T (2011) Mortality patterns of Australian male farmers and farm managers. Aust J Rural Health 19:179–184CrossRef

Frost G, Brown T, Harding AH (2011) Mortality and cancer incidence among British agricultural pesticide users. Occup Med 61:303–310CrossRef

Gladen BC, Sandler DP, Zahm SH, Zahm F, Rowland AS, Alavanja MC (1998) Exposure opportunities of families of farmer pesticide applicators. Am J Ind Med 34:581–587CrossRef

Howe GR, Lindsay JP (1983) A follow-up study of a ten-percent sample of the Canadian labor force. I. Cancer mortality in males, 1965–73. J Natl Cancer Inst 70:37–44

Institut National de Prévention et d’Education Pour la Santé (2007) Les français et la cigarette en 2005: un divorce pas encore consommé. Baromètres Santé 2005. Attitudes et comportements de santé 77–110

Kirrane EF, Hopin JA, Umbach DM, Samanic C, Sandler DP (2004) Patterns of pesticide use and their determinants among wives of farmer pesticide applicators in the Agricultural Health Study. J Occup Environ Med 46:856–865CrossRef

Leon ME, Beane Freeman LE, Douwes J, Hoppin JA, Kromhout H, Lebailly P et al (2011) AGRICOH: a consortium of agricultural cohorts. Int J Environ Res Public Health 8:1341–1357CrossRef

Lynch CF, Sprince NL, Heywood E, Lynch CF, Sprince NL et al (2005) Comparison of farmers in the Agricultural Health Study to the 1992 and 1997 censuses of agriculture. J Agromed 10:13–22CrossRef

Nanni O, Ravaioli A, Bucchi L, Falcini F, Ricci R, Buiatti E et al (2005) Relative and absolute cancer mortality of women in agriculture in northern Italy. Eur J Cancer Prev 14:337–344CrossRef

Pukkala E, Martinsen JI, Lynge E, Gunnarsdottir HK, Sparén P, Tryggvadottir L et al (2009) Occupation and cancer-follow-up of 15 million people in five Nordic countries. Acta Oncol 48:646–790CrossRef

Rafnsson V, Gunnarsdottir H (1989) Mortality among farmers in Iceland. Int J Epidemiol 18:146–151CrossRef

Reckner Olsson A, Skogh T, Wingren G (2001) Comorbidity and lifestyle, reproductive factors, and environmental exposures associated with rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis 60:934–939CrossRef

Saftlas AF, Blair A, Cantor K, Hanrahan L, Anderson HA (1987) Cancer and other causes of death among Wisconsin farmers. Am J Ind Med 11:119–129CrossRef

Thelin N, Holmberg S, Nettelbladt P, Thelin A (2009) Mortality and morbidity among farmers, nonfarming rural men, and urban referents: a prospective population-based study. Int J Occup Environ Health 15:21–28CrossRef

Torchio P, Lepore AR, Corrao G, Comba P, Settimi L, Belli S et al (1994) Mortality study on a cohort of Italian licensed pesticide users. Sci Total Environ 149:183–191CrossRef

Union des Industries de la Protection des Plantes (2011) Rapport d’activités 2009–2010. http://www.uipp.org/Services-pro/Chiffres-cles/Tendances-en-France. Accessed 29 Dec 2011

Waggoner JK, Kullman GJ, Henneberger PK, Umbach DM, Blair A, Alavanja MC et al (2011) Mortality in the Agricultural Health Study, 1993–2007. Am J Epidemiol 173:71–83CrossRef

World Health Organization (1992) International statistical classification of disease and related health problems. Tenth revision. World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

Title: The AGRIculture and CANcer (AGRICAN) cohort study: enrollment and causes of death for the 2005–2009 period
Authors: Noémie Levêque-Morlais
Séverine Tual
Bénédicte Clin
Annie Adjemian
Isabelle Baldi
Pierre Lebailly
Publication date: 01-01-2015
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health / Issue 1/2015
Print ISSN: 0340-0131
Electronic ISSN: 1432-1246
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-014-0933-x

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

The AGRIculture and CANcer (AGRICAN) cohort study: enrollment and causes of death for the 2005–2009 period

Abstract

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusions

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 1/2015

Saliva as a matrix for human biomonitoring in occupational and environmental medicine

Work–family conflict, emotional exhaustion and performance-based self-esteem: reciprocal relationships

Mortality among capacitor workers exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a long-term update

Updating and prospective validation of a prognostic model for high sickness absence

Risk factors of recurrent sickness absence due to depression: a two-year cohort study among Japanese employees

Longitudinal changes in hearing threshold levels of noise-exposed construction workers