The US is awash in pesticides - whether used on farms, in homes, on lawns, right-of-ways, on flea collars, etc., etc. They are used for specific reasons (e.g., to kill specific pests or weeds), but they also cause harms. People have more exposure to pesticides than they realize, and this results in health harms, especially to children and during pregnancy.
For example, people are exposed when there is drifting of pesticides to non-target areas when applied, or there is contamination of drinking water, or from the pesticide residues in the foods we eat, touching dogs wearing flea collars, or when children play on treated lawns.
A large study found that exposure to multiple pesticides results in an increased risk of childhood cancers - brain cancer by 36%, leukemia rates by 23%, and overall pediatric cancer rates by 30%. The study was done in Nebraska, the state with the second highest cancer rates. Many scientists, and also researchers of the study, believe this is from extensive use of multiple pesticides on crops.
Unfortunately, the government only looks at exposure to one chemical at a time - not the mixtures we are exposed to on a daily basis. Also, the most toxic pesticides (dicamba, paraquat, glyphosate) are more regulated or banned in Europe, but not in the US. (Remember: $$$ first in the US).
Simple steps you can do to lower your pesticide exposure: 1) Eat as many organic foods as possible. Pesticide levels in the body will rapidly go down. 2) Use non-toxic Integrated Pest Management (IPM) or organic methods for pest problems. 3) Don't use pesticides on the grounds where you live. View lawns as having wildflowers (bee habitats!) and not weeds. 4) Take your shoes off at the door (so you don't track in pesticides). 5) Use some sort of water filter for drinking water if you suspect that there are pesticides in your water.
From The Guardian: Exposure to combination of pesticides increases childhood cancer risk – study
Exposure to multiple pesticides significantly increases the risk of childhood cancers compared with exposures to just one pesticide, first-of-its-kind research finds, raising new fears that children are more at risk to the substances’ harmful effects than previously thought.
The study’s authors say they are the first to look at the link between exposures to multiple widely used pesticides and the most common childhood cancers. Most research considers pesticides’ toxicity on an individual basis, and the substances are regulated as if exposures occur in isolation from one another.
But people are exposed to multiple pesticides in water, produce, meat, fish and processed foods. In agricultural communities, children can be even further exposed to multiple pesticides in water, air and dust, and in the home.
Exposure to a 10% mixture increased brain cancer rates by 36%, leukemia rates by 23% and overall pediatric cancer rates by 30% in Nebraska, the study found. The cancers are among the most common in the state, and may help explain their prevalence, said Jabeen Taiba, a lead author with the University of Nebraska medical center.
The study investigated cancer data from 2,500 pediatric cases across 22 years in Nebraska, which is in the nation’s agricultural heartland. It holds the US’s second highest childhood cancer rates, in part due to widespread use of multiple pesticides.
Of the 32 pesticides researchers examined, the most potent mixes included herbicides such as dicamba, glyphosate and paraquat – controversial products that are each sprayed on tens of millions of acres of cropland nationally.
The pesticides have drawn intense scrutiny for their toxicity, and are prohibited in many other countries, but US regulators have resisted calls for bans. Pesticides are especially dangerous for children because they are smaller than adults and their bodies are still developing, so health risks can be considerable at a smaller exposure level.
Although the problem’s solution lies in changes in regulatory structure, which will take into account the toxicity of exposure to multiple substances, people can take steps to protect themselves. Taiba recommends buying organic foods when possible.
Pesticide pollution of water sources in some communities is also common, and people could research levels in their water, then buy water filtration systems that are effective at removing the substances. Reverse osmosis and granular activated-carbon systems are considered the best.
In agricultural communities, adults who work around pesticides should leave their work clothes and shoes outdoors, Taiba said. Previous research has found pesticides tracked or brought into the home are a significant exposure source for children.