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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2010 Aug 27.
Published in final edited form as: Int J Cancer. 2007 Jul 15;121(2):339–346. doi: 10.1002/ijc.22635

Table 2. Colorectal Cancer Risk among Pesticide Applicators by Ever/Never Exposed to 50 Pesticides1 in the Agricultural Health Study, 1993-2002.

Colorectal (n=305) Colon (n=212) Rectum (n=93)

Pesticides Observed cases2 OR3 95% CI3 Observed cases OR 95% CI Observed cases OR 95% CI
Exp. Nonexp. Exp. Nonexp. Exp. Nonexp.
Herbicides
2,4-D 204 85 0.7 0.5, 0.9 135 64 0.6 0.4, 0.8 69 21 1.1 0.6, 2.0
2,4,5 T 65 167 0.9 0.7, 1.2 42 116 0.8 0.6, 1.2 23 51 1.1 0.6, 1.8
2,4,5 TP 24 208 0.8 0.5, 1.2 12 146 0.6 0.3, 1.1 12 62 1.3 0.7, 2.6
Alachlor 130 121 0.8 0.6, 1.1 88 86 0.8 0.6, 1.1 42 35 0.9 0.5, 1.5
Atrazine 191 99 0.9 0.7, 1.2 127 72 0.8 0.6, 1.1 64 27 1.2 0.7, 2.0
Butylate 69 166 0.9 0.7, 1.2 48 113 0.9 0.7, 1.4 21 53 0.8 0.5, 1.5
Chlorimuronethyl 66 166 0.8 0.6, 1.2 42 116 0.8 0.5, 1.1 24 50 1.0 0.6, 1.7
Cyanazine 98 156 1.0 0.7, 1.3 63 113 0.8 0.6, 1.2 35 43 1.4 0.8, 2.3
Dicamba 110 142 0.9 0.7, 1.2 79 98 0.9 0.6, 1.3 31 44 0.8 0.5, 1.4
EPTC 44 200 1.1 0.8, 1.5 32 139 1.2 0.8, 1.8 12 61 0.9 0.4, 1.7
Glyphosate 225 67 1.2 0.9, 1.6 151 49 1.0 0.7, 1.5 74 18 1.6 0.9, 2.9
Imazethapyr 91 158 1.1 0.8, 1.5 65 108 1.2 0.8, 1.7 26 50 0.9 0.5, 1.6
Metolachlor 107 146 1.0 0.8, 1.3 73 104 1.0 0.7, 1.4 34 42 1.0 0.6, 1.7
Metribuzin 91 145 0.8 0.6, 1.1 60 100 0.8 0.6, 1.1 31 45 0.9 0.5, 1.5
Paraquat 60 172 0.9 0.7, 1.3 36 124 0.7 0.5, 1.1 24 48 1.5 0.8, 2.6
Pendimethalin 103 134 1.1 0.8, 1.5 71 91 1.2 0.8, 1.7 32 43 1.0 0.6, 1.6
Petroleum oil/distillate 99 132 0.9 0.7, 1.2 67 93 0.9 0.7, 1.3 32 39 0.9 0.5, 1.5
Trifluralin 123 128 0.9 0.7, 1.2 87 85 1.0 0.7, 1.4 36 43 0.8 0.5, 1.3

Insecticides
Aldicarb 40 195 1.6 1.0, 2.4 29 129 2.1 1.3, 3.4 11 66 0.8 0.4, 1.8
Aldrin 67 165 0.8 0.6, 1.2 39 117 0.6 0.4, 1.0 28 48 1.4 0.8, 2.5
Carbaryl 157 93 1.1 0.8, 1.5 99 71 0.9 0.6, 1.3 58 22 2.0 1.1, 3.5
Carbofuran 80 172 1.0 0.8, 1.4 52 121 1.0 0.7, 1.4 28 51 1.2 0.7, 2.0
Chlordane 79 158 0.9 0.7, 1.2 46 116 0.7 0.5, 1.0 33 42 1.6 0.97, 2.7
Chlorpyrifos 108 183 0.9 0.7, 1.2 66 133 0.8 0.5, 1.0 42 50 1.4 0.9, 2.2
Coumaphos 23 218 1.0 0.6, 1.6 17 152 1.0 0.6, 1.8 6 66 0.9 0.4, 2.3
DDT 111 131 0.9 0.7, 1.3 73 89 0.9 0.6, 1.3 38 42 1.0 0.6, 1.7
Diazinon 73 159 0.8 0.6, 1.3 42 116 0.7 0.5, 1.0 31 43 1.3 0.8, 2.2
Dichlorvos/DDVP 30 216 1.3 0.8, 1.9 24 145 1.5 0.9, 2.4 6 71 0.8 0.4, 2.0
Dieldrin 27 200 0.8 0.5, 1.3 16 138 0.7 0.4, 1.2 11 62 1.2 0.6, 2.5
Fonofos 68 187 1.4 1.0, 1.9 48 127 1.5 1.0, 2.2 20 60 1.1 0.6, 2.0
Heptachlor 55 176 0.9 0.6, 1.3 34 123 0.8 0.5, 1.2 21 53 1.3 0.7, 2.4
Lindane 42 191 0.8 0.6, 1.1 25 135 0.7 0.4, 1.1 17 56 1.1 0.6, 2.0
Malathion 169 80 0.8 0.6, 1.1 112 59 0.8 0.5, 1.1 57 21 1.0 0.6, 1.7
Parathion 46 188 0.9 0.6, 1.3 31 127 0.9 0.6, 1.5 15 61 0.9 0.5, 1.7
Phorate 83 150 1.1 0.8, 1.5 58 100 1.2 0.8, 1.7 25 50 1.0 0.6, 1.7
Permethrin/pyrethroid (crop) 23 223 0.8 0.5, 1.2 17 155 0.9 0.5, 1.5 6 68 0.5 0.2, 1.3
Permethrin (livestock) 29 221 1.4 0.9, 2.1 20 150 1.4 0.9, 2.4 9 71 1.4 0.7, 2.8
Terbufos 82 168 0.9 0.7, 1.2 56 113 0.9 0.6, 1.3 26 55 0.8 0.5, 1.3
Toxaphene 61 171 1.3 0.96, 1.9 36 121 1.1 0.7, 1.6 25 50 2.1 1.2, 3.6
Trichlorfon 3 242 1.5 0.5, 4.6 2 167 1.5 0.4, 6.0 1 75 1.5 0.2, 10.7

Fungicides
Benomyl 31 212 0.9 0.6, 1.3 17 149 0.7 0.4, 1.3 14 63 1.2 0.6, 2.4
Chlorothalonil 30 257 1.2 0.8, 1.8 24 175 1.4 0.9, 2.3 6 82 0.7 0.3, 1.7
Captan 21 222 0.8 0.5, 1.3 13 155 0.7 0.4, 1.2 8 67 1.1 0.5, 2.4
Maneb/mancozeb 24 218 0.7 0.5, 1.2 15 152 0.7 0.4, 1.2 9 66 0.9 0.4, 2.0
Metalaxyl 65 181 1.0 0.7, 1.5 45 123 1.1 0.7, 1.7 20 58 1.0 0.5, 1.8
Ziram 6 231 1.2 0.5, 2.9 2 161 0.7 0.2, 2.8 4 70 2.3 0.7, 7.5

Fumigants
Aluminum phosphide 10 231 0.9 0.5, 1.8 5 159 0.7 0.3, 1.7 5 72 1.4 0.6, 3.5
Carbon tetrachloride/carbon disulfide 18 221 0.8 0.5, 1.4 12 150 0.8 0.4, 1.4 6 71 1.1 0.5, 2.5
Ethylene dibromide 7 233 0.6 0.3, 1.3 5 159 0.6 0.2, 1.6 2 74 0.6 0.1, 2.4
Methyl bromide 61 226 1.3 0.9, 1.8 43 155 1.3 0.9, 2.1 18 71 1.1 0.6, 2.1
1

The information for ever/never exposed to 50 pesticides comes from the enrollment questionnaire.

2

Missing data for some questions are responsible for difference in total cancer cases.

3

OR, Odds ratio; CI, confidence interval. Odds ratio adjusted for age, smoking, state, total days of pesticide application among all enrolment applicators. The reference category was applicators who were not exposed to each pesticide.