Abstract
Agrichemicals, chemicals used to maximize crop and animal production, can lead to water quality concerns when these chemicals run off into surface and groundwater after precipitation events. In Nebraska, one such chemical is atrazine, a suspected carcinogen. This study evaluated the association between atrazine in surface and groundwater, in relation to the incidence of pediatric cancer in Nebraska watersheds over 30 years (1 January 1987 to 31 December 2016). The watersheds were grouped into four categories based on the average atrazine concentration over the study period, using quantile classification. The associations between atrazine (ground/surface) and pediatric cancer after adjusting for social vulnerability index (SVI) variables, using pediatric population as offset, were compared using a generalized linear model (GLM) assuming a negative binomial distribution. The results from the GLM approach suggested positive associations between watersheds with higher atrazine concentration and a higher pediatric cancer incidence rate ratio. In this study, the associations were evaluated using atrazine measurements obtained from non-drinking water sources as a proxy measure. Further research is necessary to establish the causal relationship between atrazine and pediatric cancer.
Highlights
According to the 2017 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) census of agriculture, about half of Nebraska’s land was used for crop production, with approximately one-quarter of the land in the state used to raise corn [1]
In Nebraska, 22% of well water samples tested for atrazine in 2018 exceeded the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) Maximum Contaminant Limit (MCL) of 3 μg/L [5]
Within each watershed the atrazine ground and surface water sampling was similar between the growing season (April–October), and the non-growing season (November–March)
Summary
In Nebraska, 22% of well water samples tested for atrazine in 2018 exceeded the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) Maximum Contaminant Limit (MCL) of 3 μg/L [5]. A population-based study conducted in Nebraska identified an association between the interaction of atrazine with nitrate in drinking water and lymphoma among adults [6]. An in vitro study using cell lines suggested that exposure to atrazine caused cancer [7]. Other studies suggest a null association between atrazine and cancer [8]. The US EPA reviewed the results from human-based studies and summarized that there is no aggregate risk associated with atrazine [10]. It is important to note that both the IARC and US EPA reports were mostly based on occupational exposure to atrazine among adults. There are several pre-clinical studies that suggest that atrazine is associated with alternations in metamorphosis, reduced immune function, and abnormalities in sex hormones [12]
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