Pesticides blamed for rise in colon cancer deaths

The use of pesticides has been linked to a sharp rise in colon cancer deaths in a developing country for the first time.

Pesticides blamed for rise in colon cancer deaths. Image credit: USDA/Charles O'Rear (PD)

Colon cancer is the third most common type of cancer worldwide, accounting for about 10 per cent of all cases. It is more common in developed nations, but a few countries in Latin America, including Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay are now approaching the levels of incidence seen in the developed world.

Now a team of researchers from Brazil, Germany, and the United Kingdom have mapped the use of pesticides across Brazil between 2000 and 2012. They then compared this to the number of deaths from colon cancer during the same period.

They observed an overall increase of colon cancer, which was correlated with the amount of pesticides sold and used in the country.

The researchers found that in 2000, just over 162 million tons of pesticides were sold in Brazil. By 2012, sales had jumped to roughly 476 million tons.

Over the same period, data gathered by the Brazilian ministry of health indicates that the number of deaths caused by colon cancer had gone up from 946,686 to more than a million, despite progress in cancer detection and treatment.

The researchers behind the study said that pesticides applied to Brazilian crops are contaminating food and water consumed by both people livestock.

It found that 20 per cent of food samples it analysed between 2013 and 2015 qualified as unsafe for human intake due to high pesticide levels.

A few epidemiological studies have suggested that pesticides increase the risk of colon cancer in humans and rodents. Despite that, no previous study has yet found a correlation between the increase in pesticide use and colon cancer mortality.

“The results show a strong link between pesticides and colon cancer mortality and as such cannot be ignored,” says co-author Francis Martin, based at the University of Central Lancashire’s School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences. “It is now critical to determine whether [exposure to pesticides has the potential to turn normal cells into cancer cells by acting as endocrine disruptors or by damaging DNA.” (SciDev.Net)

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Isolated cancer cells may lead to personalized treatments

Scientists used a novel microchip-based method to isolate and grow tumor cells circulating in blood. The technique provides an opportunity to test treatments on tumor cells, an important step toward personalizing cancer therapy.

New research detects Alzheimer's disease markers in nonhuman primates

As a part of their research to understand the evolution of the human brain and how it differs from those of other primates, scientists from Kent State University discovered proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease -- believed to be unique to humans -- in a sample of brains of aged chimpanzees.

Lead in kids’ blood linked with behavioral and emotional problems

Emotional and behavioral problems show up even with low exposure to lead, and as blood lead levels increase in children, so do the problems, according to research funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

The Secret Connection between Anxiety, Sleep

Scientists have spotted neurons that play crucial roles in connecting emotions and sleep, shedding light on the future discovery of drug targets for anxiety disorder and/or sleep disorders.

High exposure to radio frequency radiation associated with cancer

The National Toxicology Program concluded there is clear evidence that male rats exposed to high levels of radio frequency radiation like that used in 2G and 3G cell phones developed cancerous heart tumors.

Discovery of RNA transfer through royal jelly could aid development of honey bee vaccines

Researchers have discovered that honey bees are able to share immunity with other bees and to their offspring in a hive by transmitting RNA ‘vaccines’ through royal jelly and worker jelly.