Environmental pesticide exposure due to industrial agriculture may potentially increase the risk of cancer as much as smoking, a new study suggests.
In a new study published in the journal Frontiers in Cancer Control and Society, researchers found a strong association between environmental pesticide exposure and various cancers, including leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, bladder, lung, and pancreatic cancer. The study used population and geographic data from the CDC, Department of Agriculture, and US Geological Survey to correlate cancer rates with pesticide usage across different regions of the United States.
Dr. Isain Zapata, an Assistant Professor of Research and Statistics at Rocky Vista University and Senior Author of the study, explained, “We found that every cancer is affected. So, everything is affected by pesticides. And it is very similar to what you see in smoking. If you increase how much you smoke, you increase your risk for every cancer, even when some of those are more affected than others. And that is exactly what happened here.”
However, the study’s design, known as an ecological study, does not demonstrate causation. It identifies broad trends but cannot confirm a direct causal link between pesticide exposure and cancer. Dr. Loren Lipworth, a Professor of Medicine and Associate Director of the Division of Epidemiology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, emphasized the need for caution in interpreting the findings, stating, “The conclusions that can be drawn from this type of study are that there may be some etiologic clues, there may be some signals of associations between various types of cancer and pesticide use patterns at this large ecologic population level, but in terms of individual-level data, the study does not provide that.”
The study is the first comprehensive examination of the effects of pesticides on cancer risk across large geographic regions and populations in the United States. Researchers used reporting data for sixty-nine different pesticides to create geographic regions based on pesticide usage. They then examined cancer rates in these areas, hypothesizing that cancer risk is likely tied to the amount and type of pesticide use.
Dr. Zapata noted that individuals are rarely exposed to a single pesticide but rather to a mixture of different contaminants, which can occur through various means, including proximity to agricultural activities. “You’re going to be exposed to the pesticides that might be floating around from the farms that are close to where you live. There might be industrial residues that are unique to the agricultural activity of that area,” he said.
The study included sixty-nine nationally reported pesticides, many of which were linked to different cancer outcomes:
- Atrazine, used to control grasses, was consistently a top contributor to increased risks of all cancers and colon cancer.
- Glyphosate, known commercially as Roundup, was associated with increased risks of all cancers, colon cancer, and pancreatic cancer.
- Dicamba, used in corn and soybean agriculture, was linked to increased risks of colon and pancreatic cancers.
- Dimethomorph, a fungicide, was identified in regions with a high risk of leukemia and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
- Despite these findings, Dr. Zapata clarified that the goal of the study is not to halt pesticide usage. “We aren’t trying to tell the Midwest, OK, you cannot grow corn anymore,” he said. He emphasized the need for a balanced approach, stating, “We need to eat. We need to have products derived from agriculture. And to have the efficiency that we need to be economically sustainable, we need to use those chemicals. So it becomes a cost-benefit, risk-benefit approach.”
While the study controlled for major confounding factors, such as smoking, socioeconomic factors, and the area of agricultural land, it could not account for all variables. Dr. Lipworth pointed out that the study does not differentiate between groups of people, such as farm workers who may have direct exposure to pesticides and members of the surrounding community whose exposure could vary based on proximity and other factors. “It’s really important that we have person-level exposure assessment. There are people who are occupationally exposed, and there are farmers, but in the same area, there are people living with farmers who are exposed in a different way. So, personal-level exposure assessment is really critical for us to understand this type of scientific association,” she said.
Conclusion:
A national population study has found a broad association between environmental pesticide usage and various forms of cancer. Across different US geographic regions, sixty-nine different pesticides were associated with increased risks of colon, pancreatic, lung, and other cancers. However, the study’s design only shows an association, not causation, and more research is needed to better understand how environmental pesticide exposure affects cancer risk on a personal level.
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