Risk of Aplastic Anemia and Pesticide and Other Chemical Exposures

Risk of aplastic anemia (AA) from occupational exposures to pesticides and industrial chemicals was evaluated in a hospital-based case control study in Thailand (541 cases of AA and 2261 controls). Exposure data were obtained via participants’ self-reports and by experts’ assessments and the data from these 2 exposure assessment methods were compared. There was an increased risk of AA associated with several classes of pesticides measured by either self-report or expert assessment. The strongest associations were seen in those whose exposures were identified both by self-report and by expert assessment. Comparing very high/high to no exposure, odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) were as follows: for organophosphates 3.20 (1.87-5.46), carbamates 4.75 (1.92-11.75), organochlorines 6.04 (1.31-27.84), and paraquat 2.17 (1.11-4.25). There were correlations among the pesticides because many types were used in the same job, so it was not possible to determine whether these risks were independent or because of...