Exposure to pesticides and risk of Hodgkin lymphoma in an international consortium of agricultural cohorts (AGRICOH)

Cancer mortality and sectors of employment: a cohort study in Italy

BACKGROUND

Cancer is a multifactorial disease. The large impact of occupational exposure on the burden of cancer continues to be a paramount public health concern that deserves more attention. The study aims to evaluate cancer-specific mortality risk in relation to sectors of employment.

METHODS

We used a cohort from the Rome Longitudinal Study (ROL) and linked it with the National Social Insurance Agency (INPS) database to obtain working histories. We considered the longest duration of employment in a sector as a proxy of exposure, and insurance activities as the reference category. A Cox regression adjusted model was used to examine the associations between cancer-specific causes of death and the sector of employment in men and women. A similar analysis was performed considering the length of employment (≤ 10 years versus ≥ 10 years).

RESULTS

The study population comprised 910,559 (52% of the total population of the cohort after linkage with INPS) 30 + yr employees (53% men and 47% women) followed for a total period of approximately 7 million years. The outcomes confirmed some well-known associations (e.g. lung and pleura in construction, pleura in paper and printing, and lung in wood and leather) and suggested possible high-risk sectors that have not yet been thoroughly investigated. In men we observed an increased mortality risk for stomach cancer in the printing and paper industry (HR = 1.69, 95% CI:1.11-2.57) as well as for stomach and lung cancer in cleaning activities (HR = 1.98, 95% CI:1.13-3.49 and HR = 1.55, 95% CI:1.22-1.98, respectively). Among women, there was an elevated mortality risk in the cleaning industry for all malignant cancers (HR = 1.15, 95% CI:1.03-1.29), liver cancer (HR = 1.94, 95% CI:1.08-3.48) and cancer of the lympho-hematopoietic tissue (HR = 1.65, 95% CI:1.09-2.50).

CONCLUSIONS

The results showed an increased risk of cancer death in some traditional industrial sectors compared to the reference category of insurance activities such as construction and wood and leather products and limited evidence in sectors like cleaning, accommodation and food services and hairdressing. The adopted method proved to be effective in monitoring occupational risks and activating proper prevention initiatives and further insights.

Trends in the incidence of the Epstein-Barr virus-associated malignancies extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Taiwan

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL) are associated with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The current study aimed to evaluate the trends in the incidence of ENKTL and NPC in Taiwan within the last 15-30 years. To assess the incidence of ENKTL from 2008 to 2021 and NPC from 1995 to 2021, an epidemiological study was performed using population-based registry data from the Taiwan Cancer Registry. The secular trends in the annual incidence rates were expressed as average annual percent change (AAPC). During the study period, 872 new ENKTL diagnoses and 39412 new NPC diagnoses were reported. The annual age-adjusted incidence rates of ENKTL and NPC decreased significantly, with an AAPC of -2.47 (p = 0.014) and -1.16 (p < 0.001), respectively. The incidence rates of NPC from 1995 to 2021 in the 20-44-, 45-64-, and ≥65-year-old age groups decreased from 5.23 to 4.42 per 100,000 person-years (AAPC = -0.45, p = 0.011), from 15.28 to 11.36 per 100,000 person-years (AAPC = -1.21, p < 0.001), and from 10.48 to 7.24 per 100,000 person-years (AAPC = -1.91, p < 0.001), respectively. The age-specific incidence rates of ENKTL in the 45-64-year-old age group significantly decreased from 0.46 to 0.32 per 100,000 person-years during 2008-2021 (AAPC = -3.37, p = 0.008). The incidence of ENKTL between 2008 and 2021 in the 20-44- and ≥65-year-old age groups also decreased from 0.16 to 0.11 per 100,000 person-years and from 0.87 to 0.79 per 100,000 person-years, respectively. Interestingly, the EBV seroprevalence in Taiwan remained stable from 1984 to 2007. Nonetheless, there was a downward trend in the EBV seroprevalence in early childhood, with a decrease of approximately 20% in children aged 4 years and nearly 50% in children aged <2 years. Based on these findings, the downward trend in the incidence of NPC/ENKTL could be affected by the decline in early EBV infection rates. Considering that the EBV seroprevalence remained stable but the incidence rate of early EBV infection decreased during the same period, delayed EBV infection or factors other than EBV might play an important role in the downward trend in the incidence of NPC/ENKTL in Taiwan. Nevertheless, further investigations should be performed to assess these results.

Overview of human health effects related to glyphosate exposure

Glyphosate is a chemical compound derived from glycine, marketed as a broad-spectrum herbicide, and represents one of the most widely used pesticides in the world. For a long time, it was assumed that glyphosate was harmless, either due to its selective enzymatic acting method on plants, and because commercial formulations were believed to contain only inert chemicals. Glyphosate is widely spread in the environment, the general population is daily exposed to it via different routes, including the consumption of both plant, and non-plant based foods. Glyphosate has been detected in high amounts in workers' urine, but has been detected likewise in bodily fluids, such as blood and maternal milk, and also in 60%-80% of general population, including children. Considering its massive presence, daily exposure to glyphosate could be considered a health risk for humans. Indeed, in 2015, the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) classified glyphosate and its derivatives in Group 2A, as probable human carcinogens. In 2022, nevertheless, EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) stated that the available data did not provide sufficient evidence to prove the mutagenic/carcinogenic effects of glyphosate. Therefore, the European Commission (EC) decided to renew the approval of glyphosate for another 10 years. The purpose of this review is to examine the scientific literature, focusing on potential risks to human health arising from exposure to glyphosate, its metabolites and its commercial products (e.g., Roundup®), with particular regard to its mutagenic and carcinogenic potential and its effects as endocrine disrupter (ED) especially in the human reproductive system.

In vivo tebuconazole administration impairs heart electrical function and facilitates the occurrence of dobutamine-induced arrhythmias: involvement of reactive oxygen species

Tebuconazole (TEB), a widely used pesticide in agriculture to combat fungal infections, is commonly detected in global food, potable water, groundwater, and human urine samples. Despite its known in vivo toxicity, its impact on heart function remains unclear. In a 28-day study on male Wistar rats (approximately 100 g), administering 10 mg/kg/day TEB or a vehicle (control) revealed no effect on body weight gain or heart weight, but an increase in the infarct area in TEB-treated animals. Notably, TEB induced time-dependent changes in in vivo electrocardiograms, particularly prolonging the QT interval after 28 days of administration. Isolated left ventricular cardiomyocytes exposed to TEB exhibited lengthened action potentials and reduced transient outward potassium current. TEB also increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in these cardiomyocytes, a phenomenon reversed by N-acetylcysteine (NAC). Furthermore, TEB-treated animals, when subjected to an in vivo dobutamine (Dob) and caffeine (Caf) challenge, displayed heightened susceptibility to severe arrhythmias, a phenotype prevented by NAC. In conclusion, TEB at the no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) dose adversely affects heart electrical function, increases arrhythmic susceptibility, partially through ROS overproduction, and this phenotype is reversible by scavenging ROS with NAC.