Cancer Incidence of 2,4-D Production Workers

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Carol Burns³  Kenneth Bodner³  Gerard Swaen²  James Collins³  Kathy Beard¹ 

[1] The Dow Chemical Company, Industrial Hygiene, 1803 Building, Midland, MI 48674, USA; E-Mail:;Dow Benelux BV, Gaspeldoorn 24, Maastricht, Limburg, 6226WR, The Netherlands; E-Mail:;The Dow Chemical Company, Epidemiology, 1803 Building, Midland, MI 48674, USA; E-Mails:

关键词: 2;    4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid;    cancer;    occupation;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph8093579

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Despite showing no evidence of carcinogenicity in laboratory animals, the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) has been associated with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in some human epidemiology studies, albeit inconsistently. We matched an existing cohort of 2,4-D manufacturing employees with cancer registries in three US states resulting in 244 cancers compared to 276 expected cases. The Standardized Incidence Ratio (SIR) for the 14 NHL cases was 1.36 (95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.74–2.29). Risk estimates were higher in the upper cumulative exposure and duration subgroups, yet not statistically significant. There were no clear patterns of NHL risk with period of hire and histology subtypes. Statistically significant results were observed for prostate cancer (SIR = 0.74, 95% CI 0.57–0.94), and “other respiratory” cancers (SIR = 3.79, 95% CI 1.22–8.84; 4 of 5 cases were mesotheliomas). Overall, we observed fewer cancer cases than expected, and a non statistically significant increase in the number of NHL cases.

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© 2011 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland