Pesticide exposure and depression among male private pesticide applicators in the agricultural health study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Pesticide exposure may be positively associated with depression. Few previous studies have considered the episodic nature of depression or examined individual pesticides.

Objective

We evaluated associations between pesticide exposure and depression among male private pesticide applicators in the Agricultural Health Study.

Methods

We analyzed data for 10 pesticide classes and 50 specific pesticides used by 21,208 applicators enrolled in 1993-1997 who completed a follow-up telephone interview in 2005-2010. We divided applicators who reported a physician diagnosis of depression (n = 1,702; 8%) into those who reported a previous diagnosis of depression at enrollment but not follow-up (n = 474; 28%), at both enrollment and follow-up (n = 540; 32%), and at follow

SUBMITTER: Beard JD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4154212 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature