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Occupational exposure to pesticides and central nervous system tumors: results from the CERENAT case–control study

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Abstract

Background

The etiology of the central nervous system (CNS) tumors remains largely unknown. The role of pesticide exposure has been suggested by several epidemiological studies, but with no definitive conclusion.

Objective

To analyze associations between occupational pesticide exposure and primary CNS tumors in adults in the CERENAT study.

Methods

CERENAT is a multicenter case–control study conducted in France in 2004–2006. Data about occupational pesticide uses—in and outside agriculture—were collected during detailed face-to-face interviews and reviewed by experts for consistency and exposure assignment. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated with conditional logistic regression.

Results

A total of 596 cases (273 gliomas, 218 meningiomas, 105 others) and 1 192 age- and sex-matched controls selected in the general population were analyzed. Direct and indirect exposures to pesticides in agriculture were respectively assigned to 125 (7.0%) and 629 (35.2%) individuals and exposure outside agriculture to 146 (8.2%) individuals. For overall agricultural exposure, we observed no increase in risk for all brain tumors (OR 1.04, 0.69–1.57) and a slight increase for gliomas (OR 1.37, 0.79–2.39). Risks for gliomas were higher when considering agricultural exposure for more than 10 years (OR 2.22, 0.94–5.24) and significantly trebled in open field agriculture (OR 3.58, 1.20–10.70). Increases in risk were also observed in non-agricultural exposures, especially in green space workers who were directly exposed (OR 1.89, 0.82–4.39), and these were statistically significant for those exposed for over 10 years (OR 2.84, 1.15–6.99).

Discussion

These data support some previous findings regarding the potential role of occupational exposures to pesticides in CNS tumors, both inside and outside agriculture.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank JM. Constans, O. Coskun, S. Eimer and A. Vital for their radiological or pathological expertise, C.Auguin, G. Blaizot, AS. Lacauve, L. Molinari, E. Niez, X. Schwall and S. Schwall for interviewing the subjects, A. Jaffré, V. Loyant, N. Bousquet, E. Berteaud and C. Dantas for their helpful collaboration in the study, and all the clinicians who helped us to contact the patients.

Funding

The study was supported by grants from the Fondation de France, the Agence Française de Sécurité Sanitaire de l'Environnement et du Travail, the Association pour la Recherche contre le Cancer, the Ligue contre le Cancer, the Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale—ATC Environnement et Santé.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Univ. Bordeaux, INSERM U1219, EPICENE Team, 146 rue Léo Saignat, 33076, Bordeaux, France

    Isabelle Baldi, Lucie De Graaf, Ghislaine Bouvier, Anne Gruber & Sarah Rousseau

  2. Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, CHU Bordeaux, 33000, Bordeaux, France

    Isabelle Baldi & Sarah Rousseau

  3. Department of Neurosurgery, CHU Bordeaux, 33000, Bordeaux, France

    Hugues Loiseau

  4. Univ. Bordeaux, EA 7435, IMOTION Team, 33076, Bordeaux, France

    Hugues Loiseau

  5. Univ. Caen Basse-Normandie, INSERM U1086, ANTICIPE Team, 14000, Caen, France

    Matthieu Meryet-Figuiere & Pierre Lebailly

  6. François Baclesse Center, 14000, Caen, France

    Matthieu Meryet-Figuiere & Pierre Lebailly

  7. University of Montpellier, 34000, Montpellier, France

    Pascale Fabbro-Peray

  8. Nimes University Hospital, 30000, Nîmes, France

    Pascale Fabbro-Peray

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  1. Isabelle Baldi
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  8. Pascale Fabbro-Peray
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Correspondence to Isabelle Baldi.

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The study protocol was approved by an ethic committee.

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Baldi, I., De Graaf, L., Bouvier, G. et al. Occupational exposure to pesticides and central nervous system tumors: results from the CERENAT case–control study. Cancer Causes Control 32, 773–782 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-021-01429-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-021-01429-x

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