Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Jun;21(6):871-7.
doi: 10.1007/s10552-010-9514-9. Epub 2010 Feb 13.

Occupational exposure to terbufos and the incidence of cancer in the Agricultural Health Study

Matthew R Bonner  1 , Brent A Williams, Jennifer A Rusiecki, Aaron Blair, Laura E Beane Freeman, Jane A Hoppin, Mustafa Dosemeci, Jay Lubin, Dale P Sandler, Michael C R Alavanja
Affiliations

Occupational exposure to terbufos and the incidence of cancer in the Agricultural Health Study

Matthew R Bonner et al. Cancer Causes Control. 2010 Jun.

Abstract

Objective: Terbufos is the fourth most commonly used organophosphate insecticide (OP) in the United States. Terbufos has not been demonstrated to be carcinogenic in rodents, although non-arsenical insecticides, including OPs, have been associated with excess cancer in epidemiologic studies. We investigated associations between use of terbufos and the incidence of cancer.

Methods: The Agricultural Health Study is a prospective cohort study of 57,310 licensed pesticide applicators from Iowa and North Carolina. Detailed information about 50 pesticides, including terbufos, and potential confounders was obtained from self-administered questionnaires. Terbufos intensity-weighted lifetime exposure-days were defined as (lifetime exposure-days) x (exposure intensity score). Cases include all first primary cancers diagnosed between enrollment and December 31, 2005. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% CI were calculated with Cox proportional hazards models, adjusting for potential confounders.

Results: Overall cancer risk was slightly increased among terbufos users [HR 1.21 (1.06-1.37)]. Suggestive associations were observed between terbufos use and cancers of the prostate (HR(highest tertile) = 1.21; 95% CI = 0.99-1.47) and lung (HR(middle tertile) = 1.45; 95% CI = 0.95-2.22) and leukemia (HR(middle tertile) = 2.38; 95% CI = 1.35-4.21) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (HR(middle tertile) = 1.94; 95% CI = 1.16-3.22), although the exposure-response gradients were non-monotonic and p for trends were not significant.

Conclusion: We found suggestive associations between occupational terbufos use and several cancer sites. However, cautious interpretation of these results is warranted by the lack of existing experimental and epidemiologic evidence to support carcinogenic effects of terbufos.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Kiely TDD, Grube A. Pesticides Industry Sales and Usage: 2000 and 2001 Market Estimates. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Washington, DC: 2004.
    1. USEPA . Interim Reregistration Eligibility Decision for Terbufos. Agency USEP; 2001.
    1. Cambers JE, Carr RL, Boone JS, Chambers HW. The Metabolism of Oragnophosphorus Insecticides. In: Krieger RI, editor. Handbook of Pesticide Toxicology. 2nd Ed Vol. 2. Academic Press; 2001. pp. 919–927.
    1. McCall DL. Revised Human Health Asssement of Terbufos. United States Enviornmental Protection Agency (Division OoPPHE); 1995.
    1. Gentile JM, et al. An evaluation of the genotoxic properties of insecticides following plant and animal activation. Mutat Res. 1982;101(1):19–29. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms