Health Effects Of Exposures In Agriculture

National Institute Of Environmental Health Sciences

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

The NIEHS leads research on non-cancer outcomes in the cohort, as summarized below. NIEHS researchers also collaborate with NCI colleagues on cohort-wide studies of cancer associated with pesticides and other agricultural exposures including nitrates in drinking water and endotoxins. Pesticides have been associated with neurologic conditions and symptoms in the AHS and other studies, including Parkinson's disease. Recent research on prodromal neurological symptoms (including a sub-study of in 2538 participants), led by Michigan State University collaborators, has confirmed associations of symptoms with later development of Parkinson's disease (Song, 2025). Duke University investigators enrolled 2500 elderly participants, screened for cognitive function, and identified 16% with possible Alzheimer's diseases and other dementias. The AHS has also published extensively on respiratory outcomes, such as asthma, predictors of lung function and childhood exposures associated with atopic disease. Greater diversity and novel composition of the house dust microbiome was related to farming tasks, and specific pesticides, and with pulmonary function measures. AHS research on autoimmune diseases includes inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), thyroid disease, and systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We recently found associations of specific pesticides and RA in older male applicators (Parks, 2024), and in female spouses, organochlorines and other insecticides were associated with RA (Parks 2025). Reactivation of herpes zoster, or shingles, may indicate immune dysfunction, and has been associated with specific pesticides and high pesticide-exposures or poisoning among male pesticide applicators in the AHS, also suggesting that acute high level and chronic pesticide exposures may lead to lasting immune effects and risk of infections. End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) has been associated with pesticides and biomarkers of kidney dysfunction in the AHS. New analyses, led by Johns Hopkins University collaborators, have studied heat stress, pesticides, and ESRD, a concern given the global epidemic of unexplained kidney disease in tropical locales. Our research includes biomarker studies in collaboration with the NCI. Recently, we found that some organochlorine insecticides are associated with mosaic loss of chromosome Y in male farmers, a marker of genomic instability (Hurwitz, 2025). In another study, several pesticides were associated with longer or shorter leukocyte telomeres, a marker of immune aging (Erickson, 2025). We also saw associations of animal farming with oral microbial diversity (Chang, 2025). Estimated endotoxin exposures were associated with immunological biomarkers in male farmers (Ezennia, 2025). The AHS participates in large data pooling projects through the NCI-sponsored cohort Consortium, with studies of genetic and lifestyle or environmental risks for cancers (e.g., breast, thyroid, ovarian). AHS data have contributed to large genetic consortia studies on pulmonary function. The AHS is a founding member of the Agricultural Cohort Consortium (AGRICOH), including NIEHS collaborations on respiratory and neurologic outcomes. New NIEHS collaborative research includes sleep disparities and heat in collaboration with Chandra Jackson's group at NIEHS.