A new study of atrazine exposure among pesticide applicators has found no clear association with an increased risk of cancer.
In the United States, more than 76 million pounds of the herbicide atrazine are used annually, applied primarily to corn and soybean crops. The pesticide has been detected in surface water surveys in the Midwest and in national surveys of drinking water wells. Animal and human studies have suggested that atrazine may be carcinogenic, but the evidence has been mixed.
Jennifer A. Rusiecki, Ph.D., and Michael C. R. Alavanja, Dr.P.H., of the National Cancer Institute, and colleagues conducted a prospective cohort study of almost 54,000 pesticide applicators from Iowa and North Carolina. The researchers found no clear associations between atrazine exposure and any cancer analyzed. However, they suggest that further studies are warranted for several cancers (lung, bladder, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and multiple myeloma) for which there was a suggestion of a trend.
Contact: National Cancer Institute Press Office, 301-496-6641, NCIPressOfficers@mail.nih.gov
Alcohol Consumption Not Associated With Increased Risk of Bladder Cancer
Results from epidemiologic studies have been inconsistent about whether alcohol consumption increases a person's risk of bladder cancer. Luc Djouss, M.D., D.Sc., M.P.H., of the Boston University School of Medicine, and colleagues used data from the Framingham Heart Study to assess the association between total and beverage-specific alcohol consumption and the risk of bladder cancer. They found no association between total alcohol, wine, or spirit consumption and the risk of bladder cancer. However, beer consumption was associated with a reduced risk of the cancer.
Contact: Luc Djouss, Boston University School of Medicine, 617-638-809
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Contact: Sarah L. Zielinski
jncimedia@oupjournals.org
301-841-1287
Journal of the National Cancer Institute
14-Sep-2004