Prenatal ambient pesticide exposure and childhood retinoblastoma

Shiraya Thompson; Beate Ritz; Myles Cockburn; Julia E Heck

doi:10.1016/j.ijheh.2022.114025

Prenatal ambient pesticide exposure and childhood retinoblastoma

Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2022 Aug:245:114025. doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2022.114025. Epub 2022 Aug 26.

Authors

Shiraya Thompson¹, Beate Ritz², Myles Cockburn³, Julia E Heck⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, 650 Charles E. Young Dr. S, Box 951772, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1772, USA. Electronic address: shiraya@ucla.edu.
² Department of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, 650 Charles E. Young Dr. S, Box 951772, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1772, USA. Electronic address: britz@ucla.edu.
³ Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 2001, N. Soto Street, Suite 318-A, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Electronic address: mylesc@med.usc.edu.
⁴ Department of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, 650 Charles E. Young Dr. S, Box 951772, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1772, USA; Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Box 951781, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1781, USA; College of Health and Public Service, University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle #311340, Denton, TX, 76203-5017, USA; Center for Racial and Ethnic Equity in Health and Society (CREEHS), 1155 Union Circle, Denton, TX, 76201, USA. Electronic address: julia.heck@unt.edu.

Abstract

Background: Retinoblastoma is a rare tumor of the retina, most commonly found in young children. Due to the rarity of this childhood cancer, few studies have been able to examine prenatal pesticide exposure as a risk factor.

Objective: To examine the relationship between childhood retinoblastoma and prenatal exposure to pesticides through residential proximity to agricultural pesticide applications.

Methods: We conducted a population-based case-control study using cases aged 5 and younger identified from the California Cancer Registry, and controls randomly selected from California birth certificates. Frequency matching cases to controls by age resulted in 221 cases of unilateral retinoblastoma and 114 cases of bilateral retinoblastoma, totaling 335 cases and 123,166 controls. Based on addresses from birth certificates we employed Pesticide Use Reports and land use information within a geographic information system approach to individually assess exposures to specific pesticides within 4000 m of the residence reported on birth certificates. The associations between retinoblastoma (all types combined and stratified by laterality) and individual pesticides were expressed as odds ratios estimates obtained from unconditional logistic regression models including a single pesticide, and from a hierarchical logistic regression model including all pesticides.

Results: We found that exposures to acephate (OR: 1.70, 95% CI: 1.20, 2.41) and bromacil (OR: 1.87, 95% CI: 1.07, 3.26) were associated with increased risk for unilateral retinoblastoma. In addition to acephate, we found that pymetrozine (OR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.00, 2.08) and kresoxim-methyl (OR: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.00, 2.56) were associated with retinoblastoma (all types combined).

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that certain types of prenatal ambient pesticide exposure from residing near agricultural fields may play a role in the development of childhood retinoblastoma.

Keywords: Cancer; Childhood; Exposure; Eye; Pesticides; Prenatal.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

California / epidemiology
Case-Control Studies
Child
Child, Preschool
Environmental Exposure / adverse effects
Female
Humans
Pesticides* / adverse effects
Pregnancy
Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects* / chemically induced
Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects* / epidemiology
Retinal Neoplasms* / chemically induced
Retinal Neoplasms* / epidemiology
Retinoblastoma* / chemically induced
Retinoblastoma* / epidemiology

Substances

Pesticides

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding