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An effort was made to study cancer incidence and identify cancer risk factors among Norwegian men and women in the agricultural industry. Data on those engaged in agricultural or horticultural work were gathered from agricultural censuses taken in 1969 to 1989 and the Central Population Register. A Cancer Register was used to identify incident cancer from 1969 to 1991. Exposure incidents and cohort categories were set up for statistical analyses. A total of 3,333 male and 2,145 female cancer cases were identified from a follow up of 136,463 men and 109,641 women, respectively. Of these, the subset of farmers had standard incidence ratios (SIR) of 77 and 92 for males and females, respectively. Significantly low SIR values for lung cancer and other sites due to lifestyle were seen for men, while those of women were similar to the rural population. Positive associations were seen between dairy farming and acute leukemia for women, while nonsignificant risk increases were seen for multiple myeloma and pesticide use for men and women, especially those involved in potato cultivation. The authors conclude that the study results strengthen the possible association between animal contact and acute leukemia and between multiple myeloma in potato cultivation. Further studies on other exposure relationships, particularly for cancer incidence in women, are suggested.
Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health, 22(1):14-26, 1996. (62 references)
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