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Herbicides and Cancer: A Review and Discussion of Methodologic Issues

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Occupational Cancer Epidemiology

Part of the book series: Recent Results in Cancer Research ((RECENTCANCER,volume 120))

Abstract

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, investigators in Sweden reported over fivefold risks for soft-tissue sarcoma and lymphoma among persons exposed to phenoxyacetic acid herbicides and chlorophenols (Eriksson et al. 1981; Hardell and Sandstrom 1979; Hardell et al. 1981). The possibility that these widely used and important commercial chemicals might be human carcinogens prompted a number of epidemiologic investigations. Reports from over 20 additional studies are now available. Results from these investigations, which employed cohort and case-control designs, have not been consistent, but as of yet the discrepancies cannot be explained. The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief overview of available findings, to note consistencies and inconsistencies, to consider methodologic issues, particularly for case-control studies that might account for these inconsistencies, and to identify areas of research needing development.

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© 1990 Springer-Verlag Berlin·Heidelberg

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Blair, A., Zahm, S.H. (1990). Herbicides and Cancer: A Review and Discussion of Methodologic Issues. In: Band, P. (eds) Occupational Cancer Epidemiology. Recent Results in Cancer Research, vol 120. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-84068-5_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-84068-5_10

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-84070-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-84068-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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