Long-Term Glyphosate Exposure Leads to Hematologic Malignancy Diagnosis

Case Overview

This case involves an adult male who has consistently utilized the pesticide Roundup since adolescence. In the years leading up to a significant diagnosis, the individual began to experience rashes on their hands and feet. Subsequently, they received a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, specifically the mycosis fungoides subtype. The patient has undergone radiation therapy as a treatment. Due to the severity of their condition, particularly the weakness in their hands, the individual has been unable to continue working in their profession as a land surveyor. This case seeks an expert in epidemiology to review medical records and provide insight on the causative relationship between glyphosate exposure and the development of this hematologic malignancy.

Questions to the Epidemiology expert and their responses

How often do you perform/have you performed analyses of environmental exposure to chemicals and the development of cancers?

I am trained as a medical doctor and have earned a PhD in environmental health sciences with a focus on assessing occupational exposures to carcinogens in human populations. During my work as a faculty member in Environmental and Occupational Health and in Epidemiology, I have designed and directed studies to assess occupational exposure to chemicals and their link to DNA damage, considering other factors such as environmental exposures, behavioral and other risk factors. I have substantial training and hands-on experience in environmental and occupational health, toxicology, and epidemiology related to chemical exposures in humans.

What is your understanding of the current literature regarding glyphosate exposure and the risk of hematologic malignancies?

While the certain cause of lymphoma is still being investigated, there is compelling evidence in the literature that long-term exposure to glyphosate can lead to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. I would be happy to speak to your client further on this matter.

About the expert

This expert has over 15 years of experience in the field of epidemiology. She earned her MD at Ankara University in Turkey and completed her medical training at Hacettepe University with a residency in public health and preventative medicine. She then practiced as a general practitioner at Konya State Hospital before going back to school to study epidemiology. After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a PhD, she completed two postdoctoral training in molecular biology and environmental health sciences. She is an active member of the International Society of Environmental Epidemiology, the International Society of Exposure Science, and the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. She started her career as an environmental science and engineering research assistant at the University of North Carolina and as a research associate at Duke University Medical Center in the liver center. She began her academic career as an assistant professor of environmental and occupational health at Florida International University and the University of Colorado Denver. This expert then served as an assistant professor of epidemiology, environmental, and occupational health at the University of Colorado, Denver. Currently, she is the co-founder and director of an environmental health and epidemiology consultancy and the founder of a public health management consulting and research company in Colorado.

E-014410

Specialties:

Epidemiology