Hawaii Personal Injury Blog - Cancer

Why Doesn't The FDA Follow Untested Drugs?

Wayne Parsons — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:51:07 GMT

A report from the General Accounting Office (GAO) questions why the FDA "has allowed drugs for cancer and other diseases to stay on the market even when follow-up studies showed they didn't extend patients' lives".

The FDA has an accelerated approval program that applies to serious illnesses that lets drugs on the market to help desperate patients but requires follow up studies.

But the GAO report names drugs that are still on the market apparently after failing to meet the FDA requirements. The question thus lies both with the FDA and with the drug manufactures. This is reminiscent of the Wall Street crisis where government regulators stood by and watched the entire financial system collapse.

According to the AP, the FDA responds that it has "overhauled [its] tracking system since the GAO completed its report." Principal Deputy Commissioner Dr. Joshua Sharfstein said that the FDA does not have a policy for pulling the drugs off the market because "we don't want to lock ourselves into a specific set of criteria." He "added that the agency has a task force assigned to look at policies like drug withdrawals."

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Wayne Parsons

Parasite protein linked to cancer

Wayne Parsons — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:02:25 GMT

Cholangiocarcinoma is a deadly cancer of the bile ducts. When it is diagnosed, the doctor usually says that there is nothing that can be done: no treatment, no cure, nothing. This the cancer that killed Walter Peyton the football player, and it killed my beautiful wife Valerie last year.

New research out of Australia is opening doors to possible treatments and hopefully new cures. But before I go on with this story about the protein granulin, I want to tell you that there is a cure and warn you that most doctors don't know about it, or if they do, won't tell you about it.

Dr. William C. Chapman, M.D., the great transplant surgeon at Washington University in St. Louis and Barnes-Jewish Hospital , has been compiling a list of success stories for patients with Cholangiocarcinoma for the past 5 years. Dr. Chapman worked closely with a team of doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota who found that if they did an elaborate treatment with chemotherapy and radiation, followed by liver transplant, the bile duct cancer does not return. The Mayo Clinic or Barnes-Jewish Hospital websites provider more information. Also read the posts at Cholangiocarcinoma.Org a great resource for patients, families, doctors and health writers.

Annabel McGilvray of ABC reports that scientists have identified the protein in a fish borne organism that is a cause of one of the most deadly cancers _ Cholangiocarcinoma. The liver fluke is an organism found in fish. It can be killed by cooking but when the fish is eaten raw or not thoroughly cooked, it creates a high probability of causing a deadly cancer to grow in the epithelial lining of the bile duct that goes through the human liver and pancreas. Liver Flukes and the protein they carry are not the only cause of Cholangiocarcinoma but everyone should think about them before eating raw or undercooked fish, particularly in Southeast Asia.

The human liver fluke is endemic in areas where uncooked fish containing the parasite forms a substantial part of the diet (Source: Chaiwat Subprasom/Reuters)

A protein secreted by liver fluke has been directly linked to the development of one of the worst forms of cancer _ bile duct cancer also known as Cholangiocarcinoma according to new Australian research.

Researchers at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, found that granulin, a protein and growth hormone, is produced by the human liver fluke (Opisthorchis viverrine) and has been shown to cause uncontrolled growth in human cells.

The findings, published today in the journal PLoS Pathogens, are the first to show that a growth hormone from a parasite can influence surrounding human cells.

"As far as we know this is the first report of a pathogen secreting a granulin that acts outside of its body on its host's cells," says research supervisor, Dr Alex Loukas.

The human liver fluke is common in areas where uncooked fish containing the parasite forms a substantial part of the diet.

In northern Thailand up to 8 million people are infected with the fluke and, according to Loukas, as many as 1 in 6 will develop cancer of the bile ducts, known as Cholangiocarcinoma.

Loukas says Cholangiocarcinoma is the most common form of cancer in northern Thailand and the surrounding region, occurring at 10 to 20 times the rate of prevalence elsewhere.

Prior to the discoveries in Australia it was thought that damage to the bile duct lining was due to the fluke feeding on the lining, combined with the effect of carcinogenic compounds found in fermented fish widely eaten in South East Asia. Now it looks like the protein granulin is produced by the flukes as a way to heal the wounds caused by its feeding, and that process may be the major cause of Cholangiocarcinoma.

Loukas is looking for a vaccine to use on children that will attack the parasite and prevent the parasite infecting children in the first place.

"Using animal models in the future, we will look at could this granulin molecule secreted be the basis of a vaccine for human use," he says.

"If we can really focus control programs we should perhaps be selective and knock this parasite out in young children, because the people who develop cancer are the older people who have been infected for many years."

The findings may also be used in the search for a treatment for a second most carcinogenic parasite, the Schistosoma haematobium, which affects an estimated 200 million people in sub-tropical areas of Africa and is closely linked to bladder cancer.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Wayne Parsons

The Potential Impact of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination on Hawaii Women

Wayne Parsons — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 03:56:03 GMT

My preference for cancer is to start with what we know. Knowing something is not hearing something or reading something. It is understanding.

Here are the facts about the effect of HPV vaccination on young girls. You should read it if you are serious about cervical cancer, as I am:

The aim of this study was to determine the proportion of invasive cervical cancers attributable to human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18 in a contemporary, cytologically well-screened UK population. This was achieved in a retrospective observational analysis by HPV typing 453 archival invasive cervical cancers diagnosed between January 1, 2000 and September 1, 2006. Pathological material was collected from 9 hospitals across Wales (UK), and HPV typing and pathology review was conducted at a central laboratory. Genotyping for high-risk HPV DNA was performed by PCR-enzyme immunoassay using the GP5+/6+ primer set. DNA was successfully extracted from 297 cases. Two hundred and eighty cases were included in the final analysis. The proportion of cases which had only HPV 16 and/or 18 was 219 of 280 (78.2%, 95% CI = 73.0-82.7); the proportion of cases which had HPV 16 or 18 and another HPV type was 230 of 280 (82.1%, 95% CI = 77.2-86.2). The proportion of cervical cancers associated with infection with HPV types 16 and 18 has previously been estimated at around 70%. The appropriate figure for a cytologically well-screened UK population appears to be approximately 80%. Hence, the potential impact of the current vaccination programme may be underestimated. © 2009 UICC

That is the science. The evidence says that 80% of the girls vaccinated for HPV will benefit. That means less cervical cancer.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Wayne Parsons

Coffee Drinking May Reduce Risk Of Endometrial Cancer In Women

Wayne Parsons — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:55:22 GMT

The International Journal of Cancer has reported that drinking coffee may decrease the risk of a woman getting endometrial cancer. In a population-based study cohort study the Division of Nutritional Epidemiology, The National Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Intstitutet, Stockholm, Sweden, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School

Insulin resistance has been linked to endometrial cancer and now coffee drinking has been reported to have beneficial effects on insulin resistance. Only 2 prospective studies, with a small number of cases, have looked at this subject. The current study used data from the Swedish Mammography Cohort, a population-based prospective cohort study of 60,634 women was used.

Over a period of 17.6 years the data showed that 677 participants were diagnosed with endometrial cancer, an adenocarcinoma. Using Cox proportional hazards models the analysis showed that each additional cup (200 g) of coffee per day was associated with a rate ratio (RR) of 0.90 and for 4 or more cups of coffee per day the RR was 0.75 when compared with those who drank 1 cup or less. Obesity appears to be a correlating factor, with a respective risk reduction of 12% and 20% for every cup of coffee, but was not observed among normal-weight women. There was a statistically significant interaction between coffee consumption and body mass index (p_interaction < 0.001). These data indicate that coffee consumption may be associated with decreased risk of endometrial cancer, especially among women with excessive body weight.

More study is needed but the results are a major public health and womens' health finding.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Wayne Parsons

New Study Of Danish Women Connects Hormone Therapy And Increased Risk Of Ovarian Cancer

Wayne Parsons — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:04:47 GMT

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reports an important study regarding womens' health on the connection between Hormone therapy and ovarian cancer.

The research measured the risk of ovarian cancer (OC) in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women receiving different hormone therapies.

The results showed that hormone therapy increased the risk of ovarian cancer in women regardless of:

Duration of therapy
Formulation of the drugs
Estrogen dose
Progestin type
Path of administering the drugs

The adverse effects of hormone therapy in women continue to mount. Spread the word to those women in your life and to doctors who promote this therapy.

Here are the details of the study methodology:

Danish women aged 50 through 79 yrs from 1995 through 2005.

Redeemed prescription data from the National Register of Medicinal Product Statistics provided individually updated exposure information.

The National Cancer Register and Pathology Register provided OC incidence data.

Information on confounding factors and effect modifiers was from other national registers.

Poisson regression analyses with 5-yr age bands included hormone exposures as time-dependent covariates.

909,946 women without hormone-sensitive cancer or bilateral oophorectomy were included.

And here are the deatiled results:

In an average of 8.0 yrs of follow-up (7.3 million women-yrs), 3068 incident OCs, of which 2681 were epithelial cancers, were detected.

Compared with women who never took hormone therapy, current users of hormones had incidence rate ratios for all OCs of 1.38 and 1.44 for epithelial OC.

Risk declined with yrs since last use: 0 to 2 yrs, 1.22; >2 to 4 yrs, 0.98; >4 to 6 yrs, 0.72; and >6 yrs, 0.63.

For current users risk of OC did not differ significantly with different hormone therapies or duration of use.

Incidence rates in current and never users of hormones were 0.52 and 0.40 per 1000 yrs, respectively, ie, an absolute risk increase of 0.12 per 1000 yrs.

This approximates 1 extra OC for roughly 8300 women taking hormone therapy each yr.

Ovarian cancer is a major health threat to women and when a woman is diagnosed there is never a way to determine what caused the cancer. It is only through proactive poreventative measures during a owman's life that they can protect themselves. Many lives will be saved if women take precautions by avoiding hormone therapy.

Those associated with the sytudy are: Gynaecological Clinic, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University, Copenhagen (Ms Mørch and Dr Lidegaard); Gynaecological-Obstetrical Department, Hillerød Hospital, Copenhagen University, Copenhagen (Dr Løkkegaard); Research Center for Prevention and Health, Glostrup University Hospital, Glostrup, Denmark (Mss Mørch and Andreasen), Glostrup; and Department of Virus, Hormones and Cancer, Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, Danish Cancer Society, Østerbro, Denmark (Dr Krüger-Kjær).

Another view of this subject is found in a publication of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM):

"Menopausal HT and Ovarian Cancer: Causal Role Remains Unclear - A Danish prospective cohort study showed HT use was associated with modest excess risk."

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Wayne Parsons

Toxic Air Pollutants Assessed By The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Wayne Parsons — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 17:22:42 GMT

The Environmental Protection Agency may be shaking off the dust of inaction during 8 years of Bush/Chaney rule and looking out for our environment again. Air pollution is a major health problem in the major metropolitan areas. Diseases from these pollutants drive up the cost of health care, sap taxpayer dollars for health care and, saving the worst for last, cause serious injury or death to real people. According to a just released EPA news story:

The EPA released the latest version of a state-of-the-science tool that estimates health risks from breathing air toxics in the United States. The National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA), based on 2002 air emissions data, helps federal, state, local and tribal governments identify areas and specific pollutants for further evaluation to better understand risks they may pose.

Air toxics are things that cause cancer and other serious health problems, including birth defects. The EPA looked at 180 air toxics, diesel particulate matter from stationary sources and from cars, trucks, buses and construction equipment.

The 2002 NATA estimates that most people in the United States have an average cancer risk of 36 in 1 million if exposed to 2002 emissions levels over the course of their lifetime. In addition, 2 million people—less than one percent of the total U.S. population—have an increased cancer risk of greater than 100 in 1 million. Benzene was the largest contributor to the increased cancer risks.

Air toxic emissions have decreased by 40 percent since 1990 when the Clean Air Act was amended. NATA is intended to target where further improvements in air quality can be achieved.

In early 2009, EPA released the results of its 2002 national-scale assessment of air toxics emissions. The purpose of the national-scale assessment is to identify and prioritize air toxics, emission source types and locations which are of greatest potential concern in terms of contributing to population risk. EPA uses the results of these assessments in many ways, including:

To work with communities in designing their own local-scale assessments,
To set priorities for improving data in emissions inventories, and
To help direct priorities for expanding and improving the network of air toxics monitoring.

The national-scale assessment modeled 180 of the 187 Clean Air Act air toxics (PDF) (3pp, 15k) plus diesel particulate matter (diesel PM). The assessment includes four steps that focus on the year 2002:

Compiling a national emissions inventory of air toxics emissions from outdoor sources
Estimating ambient concentrations of air toxics across the United States
Estimating population exposures across the United States
Characterizing potential public health risk due to inhalation of air toxics including both cancer and noncancer effects

For information summarizing the 2002 assessment, see the Fact Sheet and Summary of Results pages. The Summary of Results page also provides national maps of cancer and noncancer effects.

The emissions used in the current assessment are from the 2002 emission inventory which is the most complete and up-to-date available. Working with the states, EPA updates air toxics emission inventories every 3 years. The next national-scale assessment will focus on 2005 emissions and will be available in late 2009 or early 2010.

As part of EPA's National Air Toxics Assessment activities, EPA conducted its first national-scale assessment for the year 1996. That assessment included 33 air pollutants (a subset of 32 air toxics on the Clean Air Act's list of 187 air toxics plus diesel particulate matter (diesel PM). In February of 2006, EPA released the second of its NATA assessments. This assessment was based on emissions from the 1999 National Emission Inventory and included the assessment of 177 hazardous air toxics plus diesel particulate matter.

More information on NATA: www.epa.gov/nata2002

Information on air toxics: www.epa.gov/oar/toxicair/newtoxics.html

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Wayne Parsons

Natural Product From The Hydrangea Plant Offers Hope to People With Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis,and Other Autoimmune Diseases

Wayne Parsons — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 04:23:55 GMT

New Lead for Autoimmune Disease Posted by SR in News, tags: auto-immune, lead identification, natural product

Do you like Hydrangeas?

They are beautiful flowering plants and now medical research has discovered a natural product in the Hydrangea, halofuginone, that may help patients with autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis, diabetes and many cancers.

To treat autoimmune diseases like MS you must stop tissue damage without what is known as general immunosuppression. US researchers think that an effective way to accomplish those competing goals is to selectively reduce what is called the T_H17 response using halofuginone from the Hydrangea.

The June 5^th edition of the journal Science reports that halofuginone specifically inhibits the development of T_H17 cells which are believed to play a key role in tissue injury in autoimmune diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, eczema and psoriasis. As reported in Drug Discovery this natural prod

When halofuginone was added to cultures of naïve mouse CD4⁺ T-cells containing cytokines that would normally induce differentiation into T_H17 cells, the number of T_H17 cells – but not T_H1, T_H2 or T regulatory cells – was substantially reduced. In cultured human CD4⁺ T-cells, halofuginone also selectively suppressed levels of IL-17, the main cytokine produced by T_H17 cells. In mice with experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE), an artificially-induced immune disease resembling multiple sclerosis and marked by infiltration of T_H17 cells into the central nervous system, treatment with low doses of halofuginone significantly reduced both the development of EAE and its severity.

To understand how halofuginone works, the researchers looked at alterations in gene expression in response to drug treatment and found that a cytoprotective signalling pathway, the amino acid starvation response (AAR), was activated. Inhibition of T_H17 differentiation by halofuginone could be overcome by the addition of excess amino acids and was mimicked by AAR activation in response to selective amino acid depletion.

As reported in Forbes, Herb May Offer Hope for Autoimmune Diseases

"This is really the first description of a small molecule that interferes with autoimmune pathology but is not a general immune suppressant," said the study's lead study author, Mark Sundrud, from the cellular and molecular medicine program and the Immune Disease Institute at Children's Hospital Boston.

Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy tissues and organs.

The disorders, which include multiple sclerosis, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, are difficult to treat because drugs that can suppress inflammatory attacks by the immune system on body tissues often have the side effect of suppressing the functioning of the immune as well.

Halofuginone is a synthetic analogue of febrifugine, the active principal of the Chinese herb, chang shan (Dichroa febrifuga), which has been used to treat fever and malaria for more than 2000 years. Febrifugine itself causes severe emesis and gastrointestinal irritation and, in the 1960s, a number of analogues – including halofuginone – were synthesized by U.S. Army scientists looking for novel antimalarials. Halofuginone also inhibits synthesis of collagenase and collagen type 1 and underwent clinical trials for the treatment of scleroderma, a chronic, autoimmune condition of the connective tissue. In animal husbandry, halofuginone (as Stenerol®) is used prophylactically to control coccidial infection in poultry flocks.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Wayne Parsons

Cancer Patients Rally in New York to Reform Law To Allow More Time to File Malpractice Suits

Wayne Parsons — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 23:59:42 GMT

In a story by T.J. RAPHAEL in The Legislative Gazette she reports that a group of cancer patients, their families and a coalition of health care and consumer advocates came to Albany, New York on Thursday seeking legislative reform of laws that prevent cancer patients from suing negligent doctors. The laws set a short time of only 2 1/2 years to bring the claims and often cancer patients do not discover the malpractice until after that period has expired.

What they want is to start the time period when a patient discovers the medical negligence. That only seems fair when medical malpractice often not obvious to a patient. The current law has the time starting to run when the mistake is made. But how does the patient know that when the doctor doesn't tell them?

Most states, including Hawaii use the date of discovery of the medical negligence to start the clock running. It only seems fair doesn't it?

Good government groups including Citizen Action of New York, New York Public Interest Research Group, 1 in 9: The Long Island Breast Cancer Action Coalition, the Center for Medical Consumers and Consumers Union are supporting the legislation and trying to get the public to support the reform. According to the story:

According to the groups, New York is one of only five states that lack a statute of limitations pegged to the date of discovery of medical neglect. They say a new compilation of independent studies show there is no relationship between the length of time one has to bring a suit and the rate of medical malpractice premiums, claim payouts or claim frequency something they said should serve as an incentive for lawmakers to support the legislation.

“New York’s law prohibits malpractice victims from any legal recourse when they learn of the mistake years later. It’s a double injury first malpractice, then barred from justice. It’s an obsolete law the state should change to catch up with the rest of the country,” said Blair Horner, NYPIRG’s legislative director.

The New York State Trials Lawyers Association (NYSTLA) asks why let negligent doctors hide behind an unjust law. Their analysis is compelling:

Date of Discovery is a New York law that requires victims of medical malpractice to bring their case within 2 ½ years of the act of malpractice, even if during that time they had no reason to know of the malpractice or the harm it caused (for example, an undisclosed negligently misread lab report or test result). It is one of the most restrictive medical malpractice statute of limitations in the country - denying innocent victims of medical malpractice their day in court. Other than New York, only four other states (AR, ID, ME, SD) do not have some discovery rule applying either specifically to medical malpractice or generally to all tort cases. Clearly, New York is in the minority and denies too many victims their day in court.

If you have questions about the Date of Discovery concept in law you can get answers at the NYSTLA website in their FAQ's on the subject:

Senate Codes Committee Chairman Eric Schneiderman, D-Manhattan, and Assembly Judiciary Committee Chairwoman Helene Weinstein, D-Brooklyn, are the sponsors of bills S.1729 and A.4627-a, respectively. No action on the bill has been taken since late February when it was placed on the Assembly calendar and advanced to a third reading in the Senate.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: DATE OF DISCOVERY MEDICAL MALPRACTICE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS - S.1729/A.4627

DATE OF DISCOVERY: THE TRUTH ABOUT REFORMING NEW YORK’S MEDICAL MALPRACTICE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS S.1729/A.462

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Wayne Parsons

PESTICIDE ALERT: Pancreatic Cancer Caused By Pesticides - what to do and Where to go if you are Diagnosed

Wayne Parsons — Sun, 31 May 2009 11:11:40 GMT

In a Beyond Pesticides story on May 28, 2009 the link between pancreatic cancer and two common herbicides was reported. Pancreatic cancer, gallbladder cancer and bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma) are among the most devastating cancers. Pancreatic cancer is diagnosed in about 35,000 U.S. citizens each year. Just about that exact number die showing that there is no effective cure, the cancer acts quickly and few patients survive the disease.

Before I tell you about the herbicide link to pancreatic cancer just revealed, let me talk about treatment and hope. You need to read it here because most doctors either don't know about the new treatments and cures or they just don't tell their patients about them. Here is a short primer on where to go and who to see about treatment. I have no conflict here. My disclosure: my wife died of cancer and I saw what patients go through and I learned things about cancer treatment that each of us has to learn for ourselves. I can testify.

As I will write in other articles, there are possible cures for liver, bile duct, gallbladder and pancreatic cancers that most doctors will describe as inoperable, unresectable, unresponsive to standard treatment and incurable. A few patients with these dire prognoses will find their way to particular doctors at particular centers and as a result and find a way through the predictions of death to life.

Dr. William C. Chapman at Washington University in St. Louis is curing bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma) and doing great things with gallbladder and pancreatic cancer at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.

Dr. William C. Chapman, M.D.

Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Hospital

660 So. Euclid Ave.

Box 8109

St. Louis, MO 63110

(314) 362-7792

Dr. Steven Rosen at the legendary Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota in doing the same. On the cancer vaccine front, a hugely promising new treatment option, is being pioneered at Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Cancer center in Baltimore Maryland and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. The University of Pittsburgh is also pioneering new treatments for these devastating cancers that are very resistant to both chemotherapy and radiation. Andrew Kennedy at wake Radiology in Cary, North Carolina also as knocked out inoperable liver tumors with a simple out-patient procedure call radioembolization using radioactive Yttrium-90 microspheres.

Two commonly used herbicides, pendimethalin and EPTC, show a statistically significant exposure-response association with pancreatic cancer. The new study, “Agricultural Pesticide Use And Pancreatic Cancer Risk In The Agricultural Health Study Cohort,” published earlier this month in the International Journal of Cancer, is a case-control study of pesticide applicators and their spouses in Iowa and North Carolina. After controlling for age, smoking and diabetes, the study finds a three-fold increased risk with lifetime pendimethalin use and a two-and-a-half-fold increased risk with lifetime use of EPTC when compared to those that never used the chemicals. Among the 24 pesticides examined, having ever used one of five pesticides (trifluralin, chlorimuron-ethyl, pendimethalin, EPTC or heptachlor) shows at least a 40 percent excess risk of pancreatic cancer.

According to the U.S. EPA’s pesticide sales and usage statistics, pendimethalin is the third most commonly used home and garden (and other non-agricultural use) herbicide and the 7th most commonly used herbicide in agriculture, totaling 21-30 million pounds applied annually in the U.S. Pendimethalin is listed by the U.S. EPA as a Group C - Possible Human Carcinogen and is a suspected endocrine disruptor. Pendimethalin has been found to cause central nervous system depression in mice and rats. In addition, the herbicide potentiates hypnosis caused by other drugs such as pentobarbitone, barbitone or ether, and lengthened recovery from drug effects. The percentage of apoptosis increased in mouse embryos exposed to low doses of pendimethalin, suggesting that at levels considered to be safe in humans by regulatory standards pendimethalin has adverse effects very early in development.

EPTC is also a commonly used herbicide, with more than 5-8 million pounds used annually, according to EPA. It is regularly used on feed and food crops such as alfalfa, potato, and corn as well as non-agricultural uses such as rights-of-way and landscapes. EPTC, a thiocarbamate pesticide, is a cholinesterase inhibitor and is linked to increasing the risk of developing asthma.

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading case of cancer-related death in the U.S. The National Cancer Institute estimates that pancreatic cancer will lead to more than 35,000 deaths in 2009 and more than 42,000 new cases will be diagnosed in 2009. There has been a slight increasing trend in pancreatic cancers since the early 1990’s, with higher rates in men than woman.

Several studies published over the past 15 years have linked pesticide exposures to pancreatic cancer:
* A 2009 study analyzing pesticide sales in different parts of Brazil and cancer mortality rates a decade later found a statistically significant correlation with the mortality rates for several cancers, including cancer of the pancreas;
* A 2007 Finnish study found a more than six-fold increased risk of pancreatic cancer for male gardeners;
* A 2007 study identifying risk factors for pancreatic cancer in Egypt found a more than two and a half increased risk for those individuals exposed to pesticides;
* A 2001 National Cancer Institute study found excess risk for occupational exposure to fungicides (odds ratio (OR) 1.5) and herbicides (OR 1.6);
* A 2000 case-control study in Spain found occupational exposure to pesticides causes a three-fold increased risk for pancreatic cancer;
* A 1999 study of aerial pesticide applicator pilots found a significantly elevated risk for pancreatic cancer;
* A 1995 case control occupational study in Finland found a 1.7 increased risk for occupational pesticide exposure; and,
* A 1993 case-referent study of Italian farmers found a significantly increased risk of pancreatic cancer among licensed pesticides users with greater than 10 years experience.

Last month, EPA announced that it will be moving forward with preliminary testing of 67 active and inert pesticide ingredients for possible endocrine disrupting effects. Yet, according to prominent researcher and author Theo Colborn, Ph.D., EPA’s testing protocol will not detect chemicals that can alter development and function of the pancreas, and its hormone, insulin, which could lead to diabetes and obesity.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Wayne Parsons

Formaldehyde shown to raise cancer risk in workers

Wayne Parsons — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:32:08 GMT

The Journal of the National Cancer Institute reports that they have found a continuing “possible link” between formaldehyde exposure and death from cancers of the blood and lymphatic system among workers exposed to the chemical. The story has been reported in USA Today and other news sources.

How do you come into contact with formaldehyde? The NCI explains:

Formaldehyde is a colorless, flammable, strong-smelling chemical that is used to manufacture building materials and to produce many household products.

Formaldehyde sources in the home include pressed-wood products, cigarette smoke, and fuel-burning appliances.

When exposed to formaldehyde, some individuals may experience various short-term health effects.

Formaldehyde has been classified as a known human carcinogen (cancer-causing substance) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and as a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Research studies of workers exposed to formaldehyde have suggested an association between formaldehyde exposure and cancers of the nasal sinuses, nasopharynx, and brain, and possibly leukemia.

THE NCI helps in an understanding of Formaldehyde:

What is formaldehyde?

Formaldehyde is a colorless, flammable, strong-smelling chemical that is used to manufacture building materials and to produce many household products. It is used in pressed-wood products, such as particleboard, plywood, and fiberboard; glues and adhesives; permanent-press fabrics; paper product coatings; and certain insulation materials. In addition, formaldehyde is commonly used as an industrial fungicide, germicide, and disinfectant, and as a preservative in mortuaries and medical laboratories.

How is the general population exposed to formaldehyde?

According to a 1997 report by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, formaldehyde is normally present in both indoor and outdoor air at low levels, usually less than 0.03 parts of formaldehyde per million parts of air (ppm). Materials containing formaldehyde can release formaldehyde gas or vapor into the air. One example of formaldehyde exposure in the air is through automobile tailpipe emissions.

During the 1970s, urea-formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI) was used in many homes. However, few homes are now insulated with UFFI. Homes in which UFFI was installed many years ago are not likely to have high formaldehyde levels now. Pressed-wood products containing formaldehyde resins are often a significant source of formaldehyde in homes. Other potential indoor sources of formaldehyde include cigarette smoke and the use of unvented fuel-burning appliances, such as gas stoves, wood-burning stoves, and kerosene heaters.

Industrial workers who produce formaldehyde or formaldehyde-containing products, laboratory technicians, health care professionals, and mortuary employees may be exposed to higher levels of formaldehyde than the general public. Exposure occurs primarily by inhaling formaldehyde gas or vapor from the air or by absorbing liquids containing formaldehyde through the skin.

What are the short-term health effects of formaldehyde exposure?

When formaldehyde is present in the air at levels exceeding 0.1 ppm, some individuals may experience health effects, such as watery eyes; burning sensations of the eyes, nose, and throat; coughing; wheezing; nausea; and skin irritation. Some people are very sensitive to formaldehyde, whereas others have no reaction to the same level of exposure.

The report is part of an ongoing study of industrial workers in plants making formaldehyde products. Mortality From Lymphohematopoietic Malignancies Among Workers in Formaldehyde Industries: The National Cancer Institute Cohort

“Since the 1980s, NCI has studied cancer deaths among a group of 25,619 workers, predominately white males, who were employed before 1966 in 10 industrial plants that produced formaldehyde and formaldehyde resin and that used the chemical to produce molded-plastic products, decorative laminates, photographic film, or plywood,” according to the NCI release.

These workers show a higher susceptibility to certain cancers, especially among workers with high exposure to the chemical, researchers say.

“Workers with the highest peak exposures had a 37 percent increased risk of death compared to those with the lowest level of peak exposures. This represents an excess risk of death from several specific cancers, including Hodgkin’s lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and myeloid leukemia - the type most often associated with chemical exposure,” the NCI release noted.

Researchers called the findings “not definitive” but “consistent” with previous work showing a relationship between formaldehyde and cancers of the blood and lymphatic system. Analysis of the same group of workers has shown that the risk of death from myeloid leukemia, for instance, was 78 percent higher among industrial workers with the highest peak exposures compared to those with the lowest peak exposures (though the risk has been declining over time, possibly due to “chance” or due to the risk of developing the cancer peaking relatively soon after exposure).

The Formaldehyde Council disputed the study, noting that the researchers’ concession that the cancer link was not “definitive.” The industry group asserted that “the rate of leukemia in the study group is no different than that in the U.S. population” and called for more research into the health effects of formaldehyde by the National Academy of Sciences.

Formaldehyde is found in pressed wood products used in construction, cabinetry, insulation, disinfectants and in some beauty products, where it turns up as a preservative.

It remains unclear whether routine household exposure to the chemical would raise anyone’s risk of contracting cancer. But advocacy groups concerned about the build-up of many chemicals in the body advise consumers to be aware of formaldehyde in products and to wear gloves when using disinfectants or cleaners containing the product.

I have written on formaldehyde clothing dermatitis in connection with Victoria's Secret bras:

Victoria's Secret Bras Contaminated With Formaldehyde According To Ohio Woman's Lawsuit

Formaldehyde Clothing Dermatitis - Victoria's Secret Bras

Jamie Goldstein top personal injury attorney in Chicago is handling a number of these cases.

Victoria's Secret is Out - She's Putting Formaldehyde in Her Bras

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics recently found a small amount of formaldehyde in baby products, which has triggered a bill in Congress called the Safe Baby Products Act that would ban the chemical in such consumer items.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Wayne Parsons