Protective Glove Use and Workplace Hygiene Practices Modify Associations between Pesticides and Parkinson's Disease

Abstract

Protective Glove Use and Workplace Hygiene Practices Modify Associations between Pesticides and Parkinson's DiseaseAbstract Number:1516 Melissa Furlong*, Caroline Tanner, Samuel Goldman, Grace Bhudhikanok, Aaron Blair, Anabel Chade, Kathleen Comyns, Monica Korell, Jane Hoppin, Meike Kasten, J William Langston, Connie Marras, Cheryl Meng, Marie Richards, G Webster Ross, David Umbach, Dale Sandler, and Freya Kamel Melissa Furlong* University of North Carolina Department of Epidemiology, United States, E-mail Address: [email protected] Search for more papers by this author , Caroline Tanner The Parkinson's Institute and Clinical Center, United States Search for more papers by this author , Samuel Goldman The Parkinson's Institute and Clinical Center Search for more papers by this author , Grace Bhudhikanok The Parkinson's Institute and Clinical Center Search for more papers by this author , Aaron Blair National Cancer Institute, Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch Search for more papers by this author , Anabel Chade Favaloro University Search for more papers by this author , Kathleen Comyns The Parkinson's Institute and Clinical Center Search for more papers by this author , Monica Korell The Parkinson's Institute and Clinical Center Search for more papers by this author , Jane Hoppin North Carolina State University Search for more papers by this author , Meike Kasten University of Lubeck Search for more papers by this author , J William Langston The Parkinson's Institute and Clinical Center Search for more papers by this author , Connie Marras University of Toronto Search for more papers by this author , Cheryl Meng The Parkinson's Institute and Clinical Center Search for more papers by this author , Marie Richards Westat Inc Search for more papers by this author , G Webster Ross VA Pacific Islands Health Care System Search for more papers by this author , David Umbach National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Biostatistics Branch Search for more papers by this author , Dale Sandler National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Epidemiology Branch Search for more papers by this author , and Freya Kamel National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Epidemiology Branch Search for more papers by this author AbstractPesticides have been associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD), and protective gloves and workplace hygiene can reduce pesticide exposure. We examined whether such practices modified the pesticide-PD association. The Farming and Movement Evaluation Study is a case-control study nested within the Agricultural Health Study, a cohort of pesticide applicators (mostly farmers) and their spouses. Use of pesticides, protective gloves, and hygiene practices were determined from structured interviews of 69 neurologist-confirmed cases and 237 matched controls. We considered interactions of glove use and hygiene with ever-use of all pesticides with sufficient exposed cases in each category of glove use (permethrin, trifluralin, rotenone, and paraquat). 61% of respondents used gloves more than half the time and 87% used 2 or more hygiene practices. Both permethrin and paraquat were associated with PD among people who did not wear protective gloves (permethrin odds ratio (OR) 4.3 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2, 15.6], paraquat OR 3.9 [95% CI 1.3, 11.7]), but not among people who did (permethrin OR 0.8 [95% CI 0.3, 2.4], paraquat OR 1.3 [95% CI 0.5, 3.9]; permethrin interaction p = 0.05, paraquat interaction p = 0.15). Rotenone was associated with PD regardless of glove use, although the association was stronger among those not using gloves. Trifluralin was associated with PD among people with <2 hygiene practices (OR 5.5 [95% CI 1.1, 27.1]), but not among people with =2 practices (OR 0.6 [95% CI 0.3, 1.3], interaction p=0.03). Hygiene did not modify the association of the other pesticides with PD. All of the commonly used agricultural pesticides studied here were associated with PD after accounting for the modifying effects of protective gloves and/or hygiene practices. PD risk associated with pesticides might be reduced by the use of protective gloves and improved workplace hygiene.