Table 4.
Incident RA in relation to regular field work and tasks at enrollment, overall and in applicators only
| Overall1 | Applicators only2 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RA Cases N=351 N (%) | HR (95% CI)3 | P-value | RA Cases N=120 N (%) | HR (95% CI)3 | P-value | |
| Field work | ||||||
| Till soil (cultivate, disc, plow) | 163 (47) | 1.02 (0.75 to 1.37) | 0.92 | 111 (95) | 1.32 (0.57 to 3.05) | 0.52 |
| Plant | 183 (53) | 1.23 (0.83 to 1.62) | 0.14 | 110 (94) | 1.31 (0.61 to 2.35) | 0.49 |
| Use natural fertilizer (manure) | 105 (31) | 1.04 (0.78 to 1.37) | 0.79 | 70 (61) | 1.09 (0.72 to 1.63) | 0.69 |
| Use chemical fertilizer | 145 (42) | 1.50 (1.11 to 2.02) | 0.009 | 100 (85) | 1.25 (0.66 to 1.88) | 0.41 |
| Drive combines, ≤62 years >62 years |
116 (34) | 1.03 (0.73 to 1.45) | 0.86 | 47 (73) 43 (84) |
0.59 (0.31 to 1.17) 2.46 (1.05 to 5.78) |
0.13 0.039 |
| Handpick crops | 114 (33) | 1.17 (0.92 to 1.50) | 0.21 | 46 (40) | 1.21 (0.79 to 1.89) | 0.37 |
| Other tasks and exposures | ||||||
| Milk cows, ≤62 years >62 years |
6 (2) 6 (2) |
0.59 (0.26 to 1.33) 1.83 (0.80 to 4.21) |
0.20 0.15 |
2 (2) 5 (4) |
NA 2.56 (1.01 to 6.53) |
--- 0.049 |
| Vet procedures, ≤62 years >62 years |
66 (19) | 0.92 (0.68 to 1.25) | 0.61 | 22 (18) 20 (17) |
0.71 (0.40 to 1.25) 1.51 (0.82 to 2.79) |
0.23 0.19 |
| Grind feed, ≤62 years >62 years |
63 (19) | 1.14 (0.82 to 1.59) | 0.43 | 26 (22) 23 (19) |
1.00 (0.56 to 1.78) 1.90 (0.99 to 3.62) |
0.43 0.053 |
| Drive trucks | 158 (50) | 0.94 (0.74to 1.19) | 0.59 | 75 (36) | 0.86 (0.64 to 1.15) | 0.30 |
| Diesel tractor, ≤62 years >62 years |
106 (31) 71 (20) |
0.78 (0.55 to 1.11) 1.26 (0.78 to 2.04) |
0.17 0.35 |
83 (72) | 1.02 (0.67 to 1.58) | 0.91 |
| Gasoline tractor | 135 (44) | 0.91 (0.70 to 1.17) | 0.44 | 75 (64) | 0.78 (0.53 to 1.16) | 0.22 |
| Welding | 83 (25) | 1.15 (0.78 to 1.69) | 0.47 | 80 (63) | 1.38 (0.90 to 2.11) | 0.13 |
| Repairing engines | 59 (18) | 1.19 (0.84 to 1.69) | 0.32 | 56 (48) | 1.29 (0.89 to 1.88) | 0.18 |
| Grind metal | 87 (26) | 1.11 (0.75 to 1.64) | 0.62 | 81 (70) | 1.12 (0.73 to 1.70) | 0.61 |
| Use gasoline to clean | 83 (25) | 1.06 (0.80 to 1.39) | 0.70 | 47 (40) | 1.03 (0.70 to 1.51) | 0.89 |
| Use other solvents to clean | 91 (27) | 1.40 (1.09 to 1.80) | 0.009 | 34 (29) | 1.26 (0.84 to 1.89) | 0.26 |
| Painting4 | 132 (39) | 1.26 (1.00 to 1.59) | 0.048 | 46 (39) | 0.98 (0.67 to 1.43) | 0.98 |
1
Results shown for combined sample of applicators who completed the “take home” questionnaire (120 cases and 13436 non-cases) and enrolled spouses (231 cases and 20842 non-cases)
2
Data from the applicator “take-home” questionnaire only.
3
Hazard model adjusted for state, participant type (applicator/spouse), smoking pack-years, education, and pesticides; not applicable (NA) for less than 5 exposed cases. Hazard ratios allowed to vary by the median age (i.e., 62 years) when proportional hazards assumption was not met (p≤0.10).
4
Interaction by sex, p=0.055, HR=1.42 in spouses (95%CI 1.07 to 1.89).