Ellie Darcey1, Renee N Carey2, Alison Reid3, Tim Driscoll4, Deborah C Glass5, Geza P Benke6, Susan Peters7, Lin Fritschi8. 1. Centre for Genetic Origins of Health and Disease, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, and Royal Perth Hospital Medical Research Foundation, Perth, Australia. School of Public Health, Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia ellie.darcey@uwa.edu.au. 2. School of Public Health, Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia renee.carey@curtin.edu.au. 3. School of Public Health, Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia alison.reid@curtin.edu.au. 4. School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia tim.driscoll@sydney.edu.au. 5. Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, The Alfred Centre, Melbourne, Vic 3004, Australia deborah.glass@monash.edu. 6. Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, The Alfred Centre, Melbourne, Vic 3004, Australia geza.benke@monash.edu. 7. School of Population and Global Health, University of Western Australia, Corner Clifton Street and Stirling Highway, Nedlands WA 6009. Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 2, 3584 CM Utrecht, the Netherlands susan.peters@uwa.edu.au. 8. School of Public Health, Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia lin.fritschi@curtin.edu.au.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Farmers experience a range of carcinogenic exposures, including some pesticides, fuels, engine exhausts, metals, some organic solvents, silica, wood dusts and solar radiation. However many studies investigating the risk of cancer in farmers focus on pesticide exposure alone. The aim of this study was to determine which carcinogens Australian farmers are exposed to, the prevalence and circumstances of those exposures, and the use of protective equipment. METHODS: The study used data from the Australian Work Exposures Study (AWES) a cross-sectional study conducted in 2012 that investigated the prevalence of carcinogen exposure among Australian workers. This was supplemented with data from AWES-Western Australia (WA), conducted in 2013, which followed the same methodology but in Western Australian workers only. A total of 5498 Australian workers were interviewed about the tasks they carry out in their workplace. The 166 participants who worked in farming (126 men and 40 women, with an age range of 18-65 years) are the focus of this article. RESULTS: On average, farmers had been exposed to five different carcinogens. Highest numbers of exposures occurred among men and those working on mixed crop and livestock farms. Solar radiation, diesel engine exhaust and certain solvents were the most prevalent exposures, each with over 85% of farmers exposed. The main tasks leading to exposure were working outdoors, using and repairing farming equipment and burning waste. Sun protection and closed cabs on machinery were the most frequently used forms of protection. CONCLUSIONS: Farmers are a high risk group in relation to carcinogen exposure. The variation in tasks that they undertake results in exposure to a wide variety of different carcinogens that require similarly varied control measures.
INTRODUCTION: Farmers experience a range of carcinogenic exposures, including some pesticides, fuels, engine exhausts, metals, some organic solvents, silica, wood dusts and solar radiation. However many studies investigating the risk of cancer in farmers focus on pesticide exposure alone. The aim of this study was to determine which carcinogens Australian farmers are exposed to, the prevalence and circumstances of those exposures, and the use of protective equipment. METHODS: The study used data from the Australian Work Exposures Study (AWES) a cross-sectional study conducted in 2012 that investigated the prevalence of carcinogen exposure among Australian workers. This was supplemented with data from AWES-Western Australia (WA), conducted in 2013, which followed the same methodology but in Western Australian workers only. A total of 5498 Australian workers were interviewed about the tasks they carry out in their workplace. The 166 participants who worked in farming (126 men and 40 women, with an age range of 18-65 years) are the focus of this article. RESULTS: On average, farmers had been exposed to five different carcinogens. Highest numbers of exposures occurred among men and those working on mixed crop and livestock farms. Solar radiation, diesel engine exhaust and certain solvents were the most prevalent exposures, each with over 85% of farmers exposed. The main tasks leading to exposure were working outdoors, using and repairing farming equipment and burning waste. Sun protection and closed cabs on machinery were the most frequently used forms of protection. CONCLUSIONS: Farmers are a high risk group in relation to carcinogen exposure. The variation in tasks that they undertake results in exposure to a wide variety of different carcinogens that require similarly varied control measures.
Authors: Jean-François Sauvé; Emma M Stapleton; Patrick T O'Shaughnessy; Sarah J Locke; Pabitra R Josse; Ralph W Altmaier; Debra T Silverman; Danping Liu; Paul S Albert; Laura E Beane Freeman; Jonathan N Hofmann; Peter S Thorne; Rena R Jones; Melissa C Friesen Journal: Ann Work Expo Health Date: 2020-06-24 Impact factor: 2.179
Authors: Thays Millena Alves Pedroso; Marcelino Benvindo-Souza; Felipe de Araújo Nascimento; Júlia Woch; Fabiana Gonçalves Dos Reis; Daniela de Melo E Silva Journal: Environ Sci Pollut Res Int Date: 2021-10-19 Impact factor: 5.190