Pesticide cancer risks could rival those of smoking
In a US-wide study, researchers found that exposure to agricultural pesticides increases cancer risk comparable to that of smoking. The study found all pesticides, likely in their combined use, have contributed to increasing cancer risk.
An article published in Frontiers in Cancer Control and Society investigated the cancer risk posed by using agricultural pesticides in a US-wide, population-based study, which is the first of its kind. The results were compared to the well-known risk of cancer from smoking to better understand the detrimental effects of these pesticides.
According to Isain Zapata, the study’s Senior Author and Associate Professor at Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine (CO, USA), the study highlighted that “for some cancers, the effect of agricultural pesticide usage is comparable in magnitude to the effect of smoking.”
In particular, those who live in communities with intense agricultural production had an increased risk of cancer that was comparable to that of smoking. Zapata elaborated on this by stating that such a person would be “exposed to many of the pesticides used in their vicinity,” and that it “becomes part of their environment.” Non-Hopkins lymphoma, leukemia and bladder cancer had the strongest correlations, where the risk imposed was greater than that of smoking.
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The researchers highlighted that, while they listed the pesticides that contribute most to specific cancers, it is the combined use of pesticides that is prominent in increasing the risk of cancer.
“In the real world, it is not likely that people are exposed to a single pesticide, but more to a cocktail of pesticides within their region,” Zapata stated.
While the researchers were able to expand the understanding of the negative effects of pesticide use, they added that cancer risks are complicated and may not reflect the outcome of every individual. Geographic location also plays a role in an individual’s risk, for example, the heavily farmed Midwest was consistently the most affected region across all cancer types.
Zapata added: “Every time I go to the supermarket to buy food, I think of a farmer who was part of making that product. These people often put themselves at risk for my convenience and that plays a role in my appreciation for that product. It definitely has had an impact on how I feel when that forgotten tomato in the fridge goes bad and I have to put it in the trash.”
The findings of this research prompt consideration of the broader implications of pesticide use, especially for those exposed to these chemicals more frequently.