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ABSTRACT: PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to examine the risk of colorectal cancer associated with active smoking among members of the California Teachers Study (CTS), a large cohort of female public school employees for whom highly detailed smoking information is available. METHODS: The analysis was conducted among the 122,264 CTS participants who lived in California at cohort entry in 1995/1996, had no prior history of colorectal cancer, and provided detailed smoking information. 1,205 cases of invasive colorectal cancer prospectively diagnosed in 1995-2009 were identified from the California Cancer Registry, including 650 in the proximal colon, 267 in the distal colon, and 288 in the rectum. Hazard ratios and 95 % confidence intervals were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models, stratified by age at cohort entry, and adjusted for race/ethnicity. RESULTS: Compared to never smokers, current smokers had an approximately 30 % increased risk of colorectal cancer. Overall, a slightly elevated risk was also noted for former smokers. Among former smokers, risks appeared to remain elevated for up to 20 years following cessation. Risks among former and current smokers increased with greater intensity and duration of smoking. Little evidence for heterogeneity in risk was noted for colon versus rectal cancer or for different subsites within the colon. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide convincing evidence that heavy and/or long-term smoking is a risk factor for cancers of the colon and rectum. Such evidence should be considered when updating screening guidelines to include targeting people with long active smoking histories.
Cancer Causes and Control 04/2013; · 2.88 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Cadmium is a toxic metal associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Urinary cadmium concentration is considered a biomarker of long-term exposure. OBJECTIVES: Our objectives were to evaluate the within-person correlation among repeat samples and identify predictors of urinary cadmium concentrations. METHODS: Urinary cadmium concentrations (ug/L) were measured in 24-hour urine samples collected from 296 women enrolled in the California Teachers Study in 2000 and a second 24-hour sample collected 3 - 9 months later from 141 of the participants. Lifestyle and sociodemographic characteristics were obtained via questionnaires. The Total Diet Study database was used to quantify dietary cadmium intake based on a food frequency questionnaire. We estimated environmental cadmium emissions near participants' residences using a geographic information system. RESULTS: The geometric mean urinary cadmium concentration was 0.27 ug/L and the range was 0.1- 3.6 ug/L. The intraclass correlation among repeat samples from an individual was 0.50. The use of a single 24-hour urine specimen to characterize Cd exposure in a case-control study would result in an observed odds ratio of 1.4 for a true odds ratio of 2.0. Urinary cadmium concentration increased with creatinine, age and lifetime pack-years of smoking among ever smokers or lifetime intensity-years of passive smoking among nonsmokers, while it decreased with greater alcohol consumption and number of previous pregnancies. These factors explained 42 - 44% of the variability in urinary cadmium concentrations. CONCLUSION: Urinary cadmium levels varied with several individual characteristics and a single measurement of urinary cadmium in a 24-hour sample did not accurately reflect medium to long-term body burden.
Environmental Health Perspectives 04/2013; · 7.04 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Although physical activity modulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, the few studies that have investigated whether physical activity is associated with age at natural menopause have yielded mixed results. We set out to determine whether physical activity is associated with the timing of natural menopause in a large cohort of California women overall and by smoking history.
We investigated the association between long-term physical activity (h/wk/y) and age at natural menopause among 97,945 women in the California Teachers Study. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression methods were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The impact of cigarette smoking (never smoker, former light smoker, former heavy smoker, current light smoker, and current heavy smoker) as an effect modifier was evaluated.
In a multivariable model adjusted for body mass index at age 18 years, age at menarche, race/ethnicity, and age at first full-term pregnancy, increased physical activity was statistically significantly associated with older age at natural menopause (Ptrend = 0.005). Higher body mass index at age 18 years (Ptrend = 0.0003) and older age at menarche (Ptrend = 0.0003) were also associated with older age at natural menopause. Hispanic ethnicity (vs non-Hispanic whites; HR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.09-1.26), current smokers (vs never smokers; HR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.60-1.75 for current light smokers; HR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.33-1.44 for current heavy smokers), and older age at first full-term pregnancy (HR≥29, 2+ full-term pregnancies vs HR<29, 2+ full-term pregnancies, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.06-1.14) were associated with earlier age at natural menopause. Upon stratification by smoking history, increased physical activity was statistically significantly associated with older age at natural menopause among heavy smokers only (HRhighest quartile vs HRlowest quartile, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.81-0.97; Ptrend = 0.02 for former heavy smokers; HRhighest quartile vs HRlowest quartile, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.80-0.99; Ptrend = 0.04 for current heavy smokers).
Age at natural menopause is a complex trait; the determinants of age at natural menopause, including physical activity, may differ by smoking status.
Menopause (New York, N.Y.) 03/2013; 20(3):282-90. · 3.08 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Nail salons represent a rapidly growing industry with mainly Vietnamese immigrant workers. Workers routinely handle nail products containing hazardous compounds, yet have limited accessible information to minimize workplace exposures. METHODS: We conducted a culturally appropriate pilot intervention on workplace chemical exposure reduction strategies. We trained eight Vietnamese owners, who then trained Vietnamese workers in their salons. We conducted pre-, mid-, and post-intervention assessments with workers, including an in-person survey and personal air monitoring of volatile compounds. RESULTS: Survey results suggested statistically significant increases for chemical knowledge and behavioral changes in glove and mask use, and a reduced prevalence of nose, throat, and skin irritations. Air monitoring results showed a net reduction for methyl methacrylate and total volatile organic compounds, but not for toluene. CONCLUSIONS: Worker education disseminated through salon owners to their workers can improve work-related knowledge, behavior, health symptoms, and exposures for select air contaminants, although more research is warranted. Am. J. Ind. Med. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
American Journal of Industrial Medicine 12/2012; · 1.63 Impact Factor
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Stephanie Whisnant Cash,
Huiyan Ma,
Pamela L Horn-Ross, Peggy Reynolds,
Alison J Canchola,
Jane Sullivan-Halley,
Shirley A A Beresford,
Marian L Neuhouser,
Thomas L Vaughan,
Patrick J Heagerty,
Leslie Bernstein
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ABSTRACT: Purpose: Little is known about the relationship between physical activity and thyroid cancer risk, and few cohort data on this association exist. Thus, the present study aimed to prospectively examine long-term activity and risk of papillary thyroid cancer among women. Methods: 116,939 women in the California Teachers Study, aged 22-79 years with no history of thyroid cancer at cohort entry, were followed from 1995-1996 through 2009; 275 were diagnosed with invasive papillary thyroid cancer. Cox proportional-hazards regression provided relative risk (RR) estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for associations between thyroid cancer and combined strenuous and moderate recreational physical activity both in the long-term (high school through age 54 years or current age if younger than 54 years) and recently (during the three years prior to joining the cohort). Results: Overall, women whose long-term recreational physical activity averaged at least 5.5 MET-hours/week (i.e. were active) had a non-significant 23% lower risk of papillary thyroid cancer than inactive women (RR=0.77, 95% CI: 0.57, 1.04). RR estimates were stronger among normal weight or underweight women (body mass index, BMI<25.0kg/m(2), trend p=0.03) than among overweight or obese women (trend p=0.35; homogeneity-of-trends p=0.03). A similar pattern of risk was observed for recent activity (BMI<25kg/m(2), trend p=0.11; BMI≥25kg/m(2), trend p=0.16; homogeneity-of-trends p=0.04). Associations for long-term activity did not appear to be driven by activity in any particular life period (e.g. youth, adulthood). Conclusions: Long-term physical activity may reduce papillary thyroid cancer risk among normal weight and underweight women.
Cancer epidemiology. 10/2012;
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ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Alcohol consumption increases breast cancer risk, but its effect may be modified by hormone therapy (HT) use, such that exposure to both may be synergistic. Because many women stopped taking HT after mid-2002, it is important to quantify risks associated with alcohol consumption in the context of HT cessation, as these risks may be more relevant to cancer prevention efforts today.METHODS: Among 40,680 eligible postmenopausal California Teachers Study cohort participants, 660 were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer before 2010. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).RESULTS: Increased breast cancer risk associated with alcohol consumption was observed among postmenopausal women who were current HT users [RR, 1.60; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.13-2.26 and RR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.41-3.15 for <20 and ≥20 g/d of alcohol], with risks being similar by HT preparation. Alcohol did not increase risk among women who had stopped using HT within 3 years or 3 to 4 years before completing the follow-up questionnaire or in the more distant past. Results were similar for estrogen receptor positive (ER+) and ER+PR+ progesterone receptors positive (PR+) tumors; while power was limited, no increase in risk was observed for ER- tumors.CONCLUSIONS: Following the cessation of HT use, alcohol consumption is not significantly associated with breast cancer risk, although a nonsignificant increased risk was observed among women who never used HT.Impact: Our findings confirm that concurrent exposure to HT and alcohol has a substantial adverse impact on breast cancer risk. However, after HT cessation, this risk is reduced. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 21(11); 1-8. ©2012 AACR.
Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention 07/2012; · 4.12 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: To examine whether the incidence of childhood cancer is elevated in children with birth defects but no chromosomal anomalies.
We examined cancer risk in a population-based cohort of children with and without major birth defects born between 1988 and 2004, by linking data from the California Birth Defects Monitoring Program, the California Cancer Registry, and birth certificates. Cox proportional hazards models generated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs based on person-years at risk. We compared the risk of childhood cancer in infants born with and without specific types of birth defects, excluding infants with chromosomal anomalies.
Of the 4869 children in the birth cohort with cancer, 222 had a major birth defect. Although the expected elevation in cancer risk was observed in children with chromosomal birth defects (HR, 12.44; 95% CI, 10.10-15.32), especially for the leukemias (HR, 28.99; 95% CI, 23.07-36.42), children with nonchromosomal birth defects also had an increased risk of cancer (HR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.33-1.87), but instead for brain tumors, lymphomas, neuroblastoma, and germ cell tumors.
Children with nonchromosomal birth defects are at increased risk for solid tumors, but not leukemias. Dysregulation of early human development likely plays an important role in the etiology of childhood cancer.
The Journal of pediatrics 01/2012; 160(6):978-83. · 4.02 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: We considered interactions between physical activity and body mass index (BMI) and neighborhood factors.
We used recursive partitioning to identify predictors of low recreational physical activity (< 2.5 hours/week) and overweight and obesity (BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m(2)) among 118,315 women in the California Teachers Study. Neighborhood characteristics were based on 2000 US Census data and Reference US business listings.
Low physical activity and being overweight or obese were associated with individual sociodemographic characteristics, including race/ethnicity and age. Among White women aged 36 to 75 years, living in neighborhoods with more household crowding was associated with a higher probability of low physical activity (54% vs 45% to 51%). In less crowded neighborhoods where more people worked outside the home, the existence of fewer neighborhood amenities was associated with a higher probability of low physical activity (51% vs 46%). Among non-African American middle-aged women, living in neighborhoods with a lower socioeconomic status was associated with a higher probability of being overweight or obese (46% to 59% vs 38% in high-socioeconomic status neighborhoods).
Associations between physical activity, overweight and obesity, and the built environment varied by sociodemographic characteristics in this educated population.
American Journal of Public Health 08/2011; 102(4):689-97. · 3.93 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The causes of childhood central nervous system (CNS) tumors are largely unknown. Birth characteristics have been examined as possible risk factors for childhood CNS tumors, although the studies have been underpowered and inconclusive. We hypothesized that birth anomalies and a mother's history of previous pregnancy losses, as a proxy for genetic defects, increase the risk for CNS tumors.
From the California Cancer Registry, we identified 3733 patients aged 0 to 14 years with CNS tumors, diagnosed from 1988 through 2006 and linked to a California birth certificate. Four controls were matched to each patient. We calculated odds ratios (ORs) for the reported presence of a birth defect and for history of pregnancy losses by using logistic regression, adjusted for race, Hispanic ethnicity, maternal age, birth weight, and birth order.
Offspring from mothers who had ≥ 2 fetal losses after 20 weeks' gestation had a threefold risk for CNS tumors (OR: 3.13 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.32-7.41]) and a 14-fold risk for high-grade glioma (OR: 14.28 [95% CI: 1.56-130.65]). Birth defects increased risk for the CNS cancers medulloblastoma (OR: 1.70 [95% CI: 1.12-2.57]), primitive neuroectodermal tumor (OR: 3.64 [95% CI: 1.54-8.56]), and germ cell tumors (OR: 6.40 [95% CI: 2.09-19.56]).
Multiple pregnancy losses after 20 weeks' gestation and birth defects increase the risk of a childhood CNS tumor. Previous pregnancy losses and birth defects may be surrogate markers for gene defects in developmental pathways that lead to CNS tumorigenesis.
PEDIATRICS 08/2011; 128(3):e652-7. · 4.47 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Despite the increasing incidence of thyroid cancer, there is limited information on its etiology. The strikingly higher rates in young women, compared with men, suggest that sex steroid hormones may be involved in the development of this disease.
We investigated the effects of menstrual, reproductive, and other hormonal factors on papillary thyroid cancer risk in the prospective California Teachers Study cohort. Among 117,646 women, 233 were diagnosed with invasive histologically confirmed papillary thyroid cancer after cohort enrollment and before January 1, 2008. Relative risks (RR) and 95% CIs were estimated by using Cox proportional hazards regression models.
Among younger women (age <45 years at baseline; approximately one-third of the cohort), but not older women, later age at menarche (age ≥14 years) was associated with increased risk (RR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.13-3.13; p(interaction) by age = 0.06). Risk was also increased among young women who had longer (>30 days) adolescent menstrual cycles (RR = 1.78, 95% CI: 1.01-3.14) and whose last pregnancy had ended within five years of cohort enrollment (RR = 2.21, 95% CI: 1.13-4.34). Among older women (age ≥45 years at baseline), ever use of estrogen-only therapy was associated with a statistically nonsignificant increase in risk (RR = 1.69, 95% CI: 0.95-2.98).
The findings from this prospective analysis suggest that several factors related to delayed pubertal development and the transient effects of pregnancy may be particularly important in influencing risk in young women.
These results suggest the importance of future research into the role of progesterone and the estrogen-to-progesterone ratio.
Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention 08/2011; 20(8):1751-9. · 4.12 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Evaluate the risk of breast cancer associated with birth size among young California-born women.
Invasive breast cancer cases diagnosed 1988-2004 among women born in California during the 1960s were identified from the California Cancer Registry. Breast cancer cases (n = 3,712) were linked to their California birth records. Controls (n = 8,615) were randomly selected from California birth records for women, frequency matched to cases by birth year. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated from unconditional logistic regression.
The adjusted OR for breast cancer associated with the highest category of birth weight (≥4,000 g) was 1.12 (95% CI 0.89-1.41), p-trend = 0.02. The adjusted OR for the highest category of birth length (>20 inches) was 1.13 (95% CI 1.02-1.25), p-trend = 0.02. These relationships appeared to be confined to cases with estrogen receptor positive (ER+) tumors (p-trend ≤0.01) or progesterone receptor positive (PR+) tumors (p-trend ≤0.02). No significant associations were found among cases with ER or PR negative tumors.
Our results confirm previous findings of elevated breast cancer risk associated with increases in birth size. These risks may be confined to ER+ and PR+ tumors, highlighting the potential mechanistic role of sex steroid hormonal pathways.
Cancer Causes and Control 07/2011; 22(10):1461-70. · 2.88 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Epidemiologic studies conducted to date have shown evidence of a causal relation between smoking and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) risk. However, previous studies did not account for passive smoking exposure in the never-smoking reference group. The California Teachers Study collected information about lifetime smoking and household passive smoking exposure in 1995 and about lifetime exposure to passive smoking in 3 settings (household, workplace, and social settings) in 1997-1998. Multivariable-adjusted relative risks and 95% confidence intervals were estimated by fitting Cox proportional hazards models with follow-up through 2007. Compared with never smokers, ever smokers had a 1.11-fold (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.94, 1.30) higher NHL risk that increased to a 1.22-fold (95% CI: 0.95, 1.57) higher risk when women with household passive smoking were excluded from the reference category. Statistically significant dose responses were observed for lifetime cumulative smoking exposure (intensity and pack-years; both P 's for trend = 0.02) when women with household passive smoking were excluded from the reference category. Among never smokers, NHL risk increased with increasing lifetime exposure to passive smoking (relative risk = 1.51 (95% CI: 1.03, 2.22) for >40 years vs. ≤5 years of passive smoking; P for trend = 0.03), particularly for follicular lymphoma (relative risk = 2.89 (95% CI: 1.23, 6.80); P for trend = 0.01). The present study provides evidence that smoking and passive smoking may influence NHL etiology, particularly for follicular lymphoma.
American journal of epidemiology 07/2011; 174(5):563-73. · 5.59 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Several studies have linked long-term exposure to particulate air pollution with increased cardiopulmonary mortality; only two have also examined incident circulatory disease.
To examine associations of individualized long-term exposures to particulate and gaseous air pollution with incident myocardial infarction and stroke, as well as all-cause and cause specific mortality.
We estimated long-term residential air pollution exposure for more than 100,000 participants in the California Teachers Study, a prospective cohort of female public school professionals.We linked geocoded residential addresses with inverse distance-weighted monthly pollutant surfaces for two measures of particulate matter and for several gaseous pollutants. We examined associations between exposure to these pollutants and risks of incident myocardial infarction and stroke, and of all-cause and cause-specific mortality, using Cox proportional hazards models.
We found elevated hazard ratios linking long-term exposure to particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5), scaled to an increment of 10 μg/m3 with mortality from ischemic heart disease (IHD) (1.20; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02-1.41) and, particularly among postmenopausal women, incident stroke (1.19; 95% CI, 1.02-1.38). Long-term exposure to particulate matter less than 10 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM10) was associated with elevated risks for IHD mortality (1.06; 95% CI, 0.99-1.14) and incident stroke (1.06; 95% CI, 1.00-1.13), while exposure to nitrogen oxides was associated with elevated risks for IHD and all cardiovascular mortality.
This study provides evidence linking long-term exposure to PM2.5 and PM10 with increased risks of incident stroke as well as IHD mortality; exposure to nitrogen oxides was also related to death from cardiovascular diseases.
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 06/2011; 184(7):828-35. · 11.08 Impact Factor
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Julie Von Behren,
Logan G Spector,
Beth A Mueller,
Susan E Carozza,
Eric J Chow,
Erin E Fox,
Scott Horel,
Kimberly J Johnson,
Colleen McLaughlin,
Susan E Puumala,
Julie A Ross, Peggy Reynolds
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ABSTRACT: The causes of childhood cancers are largely unknown. Birth order has been used as a proxy for prenatal and postnatal exposures, such as frequency of infections and in utero hormone exposures. We investigated the association between birth order and childhood cancers in a pooled case-control dataset. The subjects were drawn from population-based registries of cancers and births in California, Minnesota, New York, Texas and Washington. We included 17,672 cases <15 years of age who were diagnosed from 1980 to 2004 and 57,966 randomly selected controls born 1970-2004, excluding children with Down syndrome. We calculated odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals using logistic regression, adjusted for sex, birth year, maternal race, maternal age, multiple birth, gestational age and birth weight. Overall, we found an inverse relationship between childhood cancer risk and birth order. For children in the fourth or higher birth order category compared to first-born children, the adjusted OR was 0.87 (95% CI: 0.81, 0.93) for all cancers combined. When we examined risks by cancer type, a decreasing risk with increasing birth order was seen in the central nervous system tumors, neuroblastoma, bilateral retinoblastoma, Wilms tumor and rhabdomyosarcoma. We observed increased risks with increasing birth order for acute myeloid leukemia but a slight decrease in risk for acute lymphoid leukemia. These risk estimates were based on a very large sample size, which allowed us to examine rare cancer types with greater statistical power than in most previous studies, however the biologic mechanisms remain to be elucidated.
International Journal of Cancer 06/2011; 128(11):2709-16. · 5.44 Impact Factor
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Thu Quach,
Robert Gunier,
Alisha Tran,
Julie Von Behren,
Phuong-An Doan-Billings,
Kim-Dung Nguyen,
Linda Okahara,
Benjamin Yee-Bun Lui,
Mychi Nguyen,
Jessica Huynh, Peggy Reynolds
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ABSTRACT: We engaged Vietnamese nail salon workers in a community-based participatory research (CBPR) study to measure personal and area concentrations of solvents in their workplace.
We measured average work-shift concentrations of toluene, ethyl acetate, and isopropyl acetate among 80 workers from 20 salons using personal air monitors. We also collected area samples from 3 salons using summa canisters.
For personal measurements, the arithmetic mean was 0.53 parts per million (range = 0.02-5.50) for ethyl acetate, 0.04 parts per million (range = 0.02-0.15) for isopropyl acetate, and 0.15 parts per million (range = 0.02-1.0) for toluene. Area measurements were lower in comparison, but we detected notable levels of methyl methacrylate, a compound long banned from nail products. Predictors of solvent levels included different forms of ventilation and whether the salon was located in an enclosed building.
Using a CBPR approach that engaged community members in the research process contributed to the successful recruitment of salon workers. Measured levels of toluene, methyl methacrylate, and total volatile organic compounds were higher than recommended guidelines to prevent health symptoms such as headaches, irritations, and breathing problems, which were frequently reported in this workforce.
American Journal of Public Health 05/2011; 101 Suppl 1:S271-6. · 3.93 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: We conducted a case-control study to evaluate the risk of breast cancer associated with adipose concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) among women undergoing surgical breast biopsies in the San Francisco Bay Area of California (n=78 cases; 56 controls). Adipose tissue was analyzed for the five major congeners of PBDEs. Unconditional logistic regression was used to estimate age- and race-adjusted exposure-specific odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Adipose levels of PBDEs were among the highest ever reported. Adjusted ORs for the highest compared with lowest levels of exposures were as follows: 0.56 (95% CI 0.19-1.68) for BDE-47; 1.19 (95% CI 0.35-4.10) for BDE-99; 0.91 (95% CI 0.33-2.53) for BDE-100; 0.52 (95% CI 0.19-1.39) for BDE-153; 1.67 (95% CI 0.44-6.29) for BDE-154; 2.04 (95% CI 0.45-9.20) for total BDEs. These results provide no evidence of an association between PBDE adipose concentrations measured at or near the time of diagnosis and breast cancer risk. Our study was limited by a small sample size. Given the high levels of PBDEs found in this population of California women, future studies are warranted. Such studies would benefit from a larger sample size, a more representative control series, and/or a prospective design.
Breast Cancer Research and Treatment 04/2011; 129(2):505-11. · 4.43 Impact Factor
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Robert B Gunier,
Mary H Ward,
Matthew Airola,
Erin M Bell,
Joanne Colt,
Marcia Nishioka,
Patricia A Buffler, Peggy Reynolds,
Rudolph P Rull,
Andrew Hertz,
Catherine Metayer,
John R Nuckols
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ABSTRACT: Residential proximity to agricultural pesticide applications has been used as a surrogate for exposure in epidemiologic studies, although little is known about the relationship with levels of pesticides in homes.
We identified determinants of concentrations of agricultural pesticides in dust.
We collected samples of carpet dust and mapped crops within 1,250 m of 89 residences in California. We measured concentrations of seven pesticides used extensively in agriculture (carbaryl, chlorpyrifos, chlorthal-dimethyl, diazinon, iprodione, phosmet, and simazine). We estimated use of agricultural pesticides near residences from a statewide database alone and by linking the database with crop maps. We calculated the density of pesticide use within 500 and 1,250 m of residences for 180, 365, and 730 days before collection of dust and evaluated relationships between agricultural pesticide use estimates and pesticide concentrations in carpet dust.
For five of the seven pesticides evaluated, residences with use of agricultural pesticides within 1,250 m during the previous 365 days had significantly higher concentrations of pesticides than did residences with no nearby use. The highest correlation with concentrations of pesticides was generally for use reported within 1,250 m of the residence and 730 days before sample collection. Regression models that also accounted for occupational and home use of pesticides explained only a modest amount of the variability in pesticide concentrations (4-28%).
Agricultural pesticide use near residences was a significant determinant of concentrations of pesticides in carpet dust for five of seven pesticides evaluated.
Environmental Health Perspectives 02/2011; 119(7):970-6. · 7.04 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among U.S. Asian/Pacific Islander (API) and Latina women despite low smoking prevalence. This study examined survival patterns following non-small cell lung cancer in a population-based sample of lung cancer cases from the San Francisco Bay Area Lung Cancer Study (SFBALCS).
Women diagnosed with lung cancer from 1998 to 2003 and 2005 to 2008 and identified through the Greater Bay Area Cancer Registry were telephone-screened for eligibility for the SFBALCS. The screener data were linked to the cancer registry data to determine follow-up. This analysis included 187 non-Hispanic (NH) white, 23 U.S.-born Latina, 32 foreign-born Latina, 30 U.S.-born API, and 190 foreign-born API never-smokers diagnosed with lung cancer and followed through 2008.
All-cause survival was poorer among APIs [HR=1.7 (95% CI: 1.0-2.8) among U.S.-born APIs and HR=1.2 (95% CI: 0.9-1.5) among foreign-born APIs] and Latinas [HR=2.1 (95% CI: 1.2-3.6) among U.S.-born Latinas; HR=1.4 (95% CI: 0.9-2.3) among foreign-born Latinas] relative to NH whites. These survival differences were not explained by differences in selected sociodemographic or clinical factors.
Further research should focus on factors such as cultural behaviors, access to or attitudes toward health care, and genetic variations as possible explanations for these striking racial/ethnic differences.
Latina and API female never-smokers diagnosed with lung cancer were up to two times more likely to die than NH whites, highlighting the need for additional research to identify the underlying reasons for the disparities and heightened clinical awareness.
Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention 01/2011; 20(3):545-54. · 4.12 Impact Factor
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Jessica Clague, Peggy Reynolds,
Jane Sullivan-Halley,
Huiyan Ma,
James V Lacey,
Katherine D Henderson,
Giske Ursin,
Dee West,
Shine Chang,
George L Delclos,
Xianglin L Du,
Michele R Forman,
Leslie Bernstein
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ABSTRACT: Results from studies examining the association between hormone therapy (HT) and lung cancer risk disagree.
We examined the associations between HT use and lung cancer risk among 60,592 postmenopausal women enrolled in the prospective California Teachers Study cohort. Between 1995 and 2007, a total of 727 women had a diagnosis of lung cancer. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were fit using age as the time metric.
No measure of HT use was associated with lung cancer risk (all P(trend) values ≥0.4). In addition, no variations in risk by smoking status (never, ever, former, current), type of HT [estrogen (E)-alone, E + progestin (P) use], type of menopause, or lung cancer histology were observed.
Our findings do not support an association between HT and lung cancer.
This large-scale, prospective study, which capitalizes on the detailed hormone use, smoking history, and type of menopause information available within this unique cohort, was unable to find any association between intake of HT and lung cancer risk.
Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention 01/2011; 20(3):560-4. · 4.12 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: To compare breast cancer risk among young Asian and Pacific Islander (API) women to White women, all of whom were born in California during the 1960s.
We used previously-collected data from a population-based case-control study in which breast cancer cases were linked to their California birth records.
California, US.
Invasive breast cancer cases diagnosed 1988-2004 among women aged < 45 were identified from the population-based California Cancer Registry. Breast cancer cases (n = 3,799) were linked to their California birth records. Controls (n = 17,461) were randomly selected from California birth records for females, frequency matched to cases by birth year.
Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated using logistic regression.
Among young women born in California, API women had higher risks of breast cancer than Whites (OR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.35-1.94). Among APIs, the risks were highest for women of Filipina (OR = 1.72, 95% Cl: 1.15-2.56) and Japanese ancestry (OR = 1.59, 95% Cl 1.20-2.10).
Our finding of breast cancer risk among young API women who were born in California that exceeds that of young White women highlights the need for further evaluations of breast cancer risk among young API women and underscores the need to consider both ancestry and migration status in such evaluations.
Ethnicity & disease 01/2011; 21(2):196-201. · 0.90 Impact Factor
