Biomarkers of Exposure and Effect in Agriculture (BEEA)
Collecting biospecimens for use in the BEEA Study
Agricultural exposures including pesticides, endotoxins, and diesel exhaust have been associated with risk of various cancers, although the biological mechanisms underlying these associations are generally not well understood. To address this gap, DCEG investigators in the Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch (OEEB) initiated the Biomarkers of Exposure and Effect in Agriculture (BEEA) study within the Agricultural Health Study, a cohort that includes pesticide applicators in Iowa and North Carolina. Within BEEA, they collected biospecimens (blood, urine, buccal cells, and house dust) and updated information about pesticide use and other agricultural exposures from over 1,600 farmers/pesticide applicators.
The BEEA study biorepository is a resource for molecular epidemiologic investigations to elucidate the biological mechanisms underlying associations between agricultural exposures and risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. For example, within BEEA, investigators are studying agricultural exposures associated with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), an obligate precursor of multiple myeloma.
Recent Findings
Glyphosate use and mosaic loss of chromosome Y among male farmers in the Agricultural Health Study.
Invited Perspective: Important new evidence for glyphosate hazard assessment.
For more information on BEEA, contact Dr. Jonathan Hofmann.
Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch - Research Areas