Update of cancer and non‐cancer mortality in the Missouri poultry cohort

Johnson, Eric S.; Zhou, Yi; Yau, C. Lillian; Sarda, Vishnu; Preacely, Nykiconia; Bankuru, Satish; Bangara, Saritha; Felini, Martha; Ndetan, Harrison

doi:10.1002/ajim.20902

Cited by 15 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…A mortality study among workers in a poultry processing plant found an excess risk of death from leukemia [27] and a case-control study showed increased risk of leukemia in those with occupational contact with beef cattle, including higher risks among those with longer duration of exposure [18]. Higher risks of lymphohematopoietic malignancies have been reported among butchers and those working in abattoirs (McLean and Pearce, 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Poultry and livestock exposure and cancer risk among farmers in the agricultural health study

Freeman

DeRoos

Koutros

et al. 2012

Cancer Causes Control

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Purpose The purpose of this study is to evaluate cancer risk associated with raising animals as commodities, which is associated with a variety of exposures, such as infectious agents and endotoxins. Methods Information was available for 49,884 male farmers in the Agricultural Health Study, who reported livestock and poultry production at enrollment (1993–1997). Cancer incidence data were obtained through annual linkage to state registries. Using Poisson regression analyses, we evaluated whether the number and type of animals raised on the farm impacted cancer risk. Results Overall, 31,848 (63.8%) male farmers reported raising any animals. Lung cancer risk decreased with increasing number of livestock on the farm (p-trend=0.04) and with raising poultry (Relative Risk (RR)= 0.6; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.4–0.97). Raising poultry was associated with an increased risk of colon cancer (RR=1.4; 95% CI: 0.99–2.0) with further increased with larger flocks (p-trend=0.02). Risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma was also elevated in those who raised poultry (RR=1.6; 95% CI: 1.0–2.4), but there was no evidence of increased risk with larger flocks (p-trend=0.5). Raising sheep was associated with a significantly increased risk of multiple myeloma (RR=4.9; 95% CI: 2.4–12.0). Performing veterinary services increased the risk of Hodgkin lymphoma (RR=12.2; 95% CI: 1.6–96.3). Conclusions We observed an inverse association between raising poultry and livestock and lung cancer risk and some evidence of increased risk of specific lymphohematopoietic malignancies with specific types of animals and performing veterinary services. Further research into associations between raising animals and cancer risk should focus on identification of etiologic agents.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Poultry and livestock exposure and cancer risk among farmers in the agricultural health study

Freeman

DeRoos

Koutros

et al. 2012

Cancer Causes Control

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“…Indeed, we observed no excess stomach cancer in our concurrent investigation of 3 poultry cohorts from the same Pension Fund, 38 – 40 and none of the cancers that were in excess in the poultry cohorts were in excess in the seafood cohort. Similarly, the findings for breast cancer and stroke in this seafood cohort were not observed in the poultry cohorts.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 56%

Cancer and Noncancer Mortality Among American Seafood Workers

Johnson

Faramawi

Sall

et al. 2011

Journal of Epidemiology

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BackgroundFew studies have investigated mortality in seafood workers worldwide, and no such study has been conducted in the United States. The objective of this study was to investigate mortality in American seafood workers.MethodsThe study population was derived from 4 states and consisted of 4116 subjects who worked mainly in seafood processing plants. They were followed up from 1966 to 2003. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) and proportional mortality ratios (PMRs) were estimated, using the US general population for comparison.ResultsAbout 45% of the cohort was born after 1949. A total of 788 deaths were recorded; 53% of the decedents were female, and 88% were white. The SMRs for stomach cancer and disorders of the thyroid gland in the cohort as a whole were 2.1 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1–3.8) and 6.1 (95% CI 1.3–18.0), respectively. The SMRs for breast cancer, and occlusion/stenosis of the pre-cerebral/cerebral arteries in the cohort as a whole were 0.5 (95% CI, 0.3–0.9) and 0.5 (95% CI, 0.2–0.8), respectively. The SMR for ischemic heart disease in white females was 0.8 (95% CI, 0.6–0.9).ConclusionsThis cohort had excess deaths from stomach cancer and disorders of the thyroid gland, and deficit of deaths from breast cancer, stroke and ischemic heart disease. The significance of these findings is unknown, especially as less than 20% of the cohort were deceased. Nevertheless, the cohort is unique and important, and further follow-up may shed more light on mortality patterns in this occupational group.

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“…Carcinogenic exposures during the smoking and curing of meat include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) present in smoke (International Agency for Research on Cancer, 1973, 1987), nitrosamines present in spices used for curing or formed during curing (Sen et al., 1973; Jakszyn et al., 2004) and possibly butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydroxytoluene used as preservatives (Ito et al., 1983; Williams et al., 1983). The higher risk observed in pig handlers than in other meat workers (Guberan et al., 1993; Johnson et al., 1995a, 2011a; Johnson, 2011) can be partly attributed to their being additionally exposed to higher levels of carcinogens during curing and smoking of meat than workers handling cattle and sheep. This is supported by the findings of excess lung cancer risk in workers in plants or butchers handling pigs and pig products (Griffith, 1982; Coggon et al., 1989; Guberan et al., 1993), and the relative risk of 1.4 for curing reported by Gustavsson et al.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There has been a total of four separate cohorts of workers in the poultry industry (Table S3): (i) a study of poultry workers in a Baltimore Meatcutters Union (Johnson et al., 1986a,b, 1997, 2010a); (ii) a study of poultry workers in a Missouri Poultry Union (Netto and Johnson, 2003; Johnson et al., 2011b); (iii) a study by Fritschi et al. (2003); and (iv) a study of poultry workers belonging to a Pension Fund by Johnson et al.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lung Cancer Risk in Workers in the Meat and Poultry Industries – A Review

Johnson

Choi

2012

Zoonoses and Public Health

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Laboratory and in vivo studies in primates, and serological evidence in humans, indicate that food animal oncogenic viruses show potential for causing cancer in humans. However, until fairly recently, supporting analytic epidemiologic studies have been lacking and have concentrated on lung cancer. We conducted an extensive Medline search and reviewed 60 studies investigating lung cancer risk in highly exposed workers in the meat and poultry industries. The overwhelming majority of studies of different designs (including all the cohort mortality and cancer incidence studies) indicate at least a 30% excess risk of lung cancer in meat and poultry plant workers, even after controlling for smoking. Evidence points to food animal oncogenic microorganisms as one of the main causes. This has important public health implications because the general population is also widely exposed. Studies carried out thus far have not had sufficient statistical power to investigate other potentially carcinogenic exposures within the industries. Thus, large studies that can adequately control for occupational and non-occupational confounding factors are needed, so that the possible role of food animal oncogenic viruses in the occurrence of human lung cancer can be clearly defined.

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Update of cancer and non‐cancer mortality in the Missouri poultry cohort

Abstract: the findings add to the growing evidence suggesting that workers occupationally exposed to transmissible agents and carcinogens in the poultry industry, are at increased risk of dying from certain chronic diseases, including cancer.

Cited by 15 publications

References 25 publications

Poultry and livestock exposure and cancer risk among farmers in the agricultural health study

Poultry and livestock exposure and cancer risk among farmers in the agricultural health study

Cancer and Noncancer Mortality Among American Seafood Workers

Lung Cancer Risk in Workers in the Meat and Poultry Industries – A Review

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