From food dyes in ultra-processed foods to microplastics, we’re constantly warned about chemicals in our environment that adversely affect health. While some are avoidable, some chemicals, such as pesticides, are essential for keeping food on supermarket shelves. However, a growing body of research suggests these crop-saving substances aren’t just killing pests.
A new study has identified 22 commonly used pesticides that are statistically associated with increased prostate cancer incidence across the United States. Still, researchers caution the observational design cannot establish direct causation. Four of these pesticides were “potentially clinically significant” because they were linked to death from prostate cancer.
Researchers analyzed county-level data on 295 pesticides and their link to prostate cancer rates across the United States. They accounted for a 10-to-18-year delay between pesticide exposure and prostate cancer onset, owing to the slow-growing nature of this cancer. Among the 22 pesticides associated with increased prostate cancer incidence, three had previously been linked to prostate cancer, including 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), widely used in the United States to control weeds such as dandelions, clover, and thistles.
Exposure to 2,4-D and Other Identified Pesticides The remaining 19 pesticides identified in the study had not been previously associated with prostate cancer, encompassing a variety of herbicides, fungicides, insecticides,.