TABLE 2

Respiratory health of agricultural workers: longitudinal studies

First author [ref.]CountrySummary of methodStatistically significant main findings
PopulationPesticide exposureHealth outcomes
Asthma and wheeze
 Hoppin [49]USA20 468 pesticide applicators (farmers) and 16 630 farmers in the AHS40 specific pesticidesSelf-reported wheezeIncreased wheezing with atrazine, chlorpyrifos and parathion
 Hoppin [50]USA17 920 pesticide applicators and 2255 commercial pesticide applicators in the AHS40 specific pesticidesSelf-reported wheezeIncreased wheeze with five pesticides used in the past year in farmers; increased wheeze with chlorimuron-ethyl, dichlorvos, and phorate in commercial applicators
 Hoppin [51]USA2255 commercial pesticide applicators in the AHS40 specific pesticidesSelf-reported wheeze, asthma (self-reported doctor-diagnosed)Increased wheeze with eight herbicides; highest odds ratio was for application of chlorpyrifos for >40 days per year
 Hoppin [52]USA25 814 female farm workers, including 702 cases of asthma and 25 112 control subjects in the AHS50 specific pesticidesSelf-reported doctor-diagnosed asthma after 19 years of ageIncreased atopic asthma with seven insecticides, two herbicides and one fungicide; parathion use had the highest odds ratio (2.88); increased non-atopic asthma only with permethrin use on crops
 Hoppin [53]USA19 704 farmers, including 441 cases of asthma and 19 263 control subjects in the AHS50 specific pesticidesSelf-reported doctor-diagnosed asthma after 19 years of ageIncreased allergic asthma with ever-use of 12 pesticides and nonallergic asthma with four pesticides; for allergic asthma, the strongest association was with coumaphos (odds ratio 2.34), and for nonallergic asthma with DDT
 Henneberger [54]USA926 adult pesticide applicators with active asthma in the AHS36 specific pesticidesExacerbation of asthma, self-reported visit to emergency roomIncreased exacerbation of allergic asthma associated with pendimethalin and aldicarb
 Beard [55]Australia1999 outdoor staff working as part of an insecticide application and 1984 outdoor workers not occupationally exposed to insecticidesPesticides: arsenic, DDT and other chemicalsAscertainment of vital statusHigher asthma mortality for applicators compared with the general Australian population; increased asthma mortality in subjects working with modern chemicals compared to other subjects
 Baldi [56]France15 494 farmers, including 1246 cases of asthma in the AGRICAN studyAgricultural pesticides and farming activitiesSelf-reported doctor-diagnosed asthmaIncreased allergic asthma in participants reporting a history of pesticide poisoning
 Boers [57]Netherlands, Italy, Finland and Bulgaria248 workers exposed to pesticides and 231 non-exposed workers from the EUROPIT studyEthylenebisdithiocarbamate and/or other pesticidesSelf-reported asthma and respiratory symptomsNo significant association
Chronic bronchitis
 Hoppin [58]USA20 908 farmers, including 654 cases of chronic bronchitis in the AHS50 specific pesticidesSelf-reported doctor-diagnosed chronic bronchitis after 19 years of ageIncreased chronic bronchitis with 11 pesticides; heptachlor use had the highest odds ratio (in the adjusted model)
 Valcin [59]USA21 541 nonsmoking female spouses of farm workers, including 583 cases of chronic bronchitis in the AHS50 specific pesticidesSelf-reported doctor-diagnosed chronic bronchitis after 19 years of ageIncreased chronic bronchitis with five pesticides in nonsmoking spouses of farmers; paraquat use had the highest odds ratio
 Tual [60]France14 441 farmers, including 1207 cases of chronic bronchitisAgricultural pesticides and farming activitiesSelf-reported doctor-diagnosed chronic bronchitis after 20 years of ageIncreased chronic bronchitis with exposure to pesticide poisoning and pesticide use in potato farmers

  • AHS: Agricultural Health Study; DDT: dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane; AGRICAN: Agriculture and Cancer.