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Category: pesticides

Published on Leave a comment on Pesticides and Breast Cancer
Normal (left) vs cancerous breast (right), mammography image
Credit: National Cancer Institute

Many studies link pesticide exposure to the development of various cancers, including breast cancer. We tend to think of pesticide exposure as occurring when there is direct contact with the pesticide - for example during application, or when walking on lawns or areas with freshly applied pesticides. Yet... there are other routes that have been neglected in studies, such as washing pesticide contaminated clothes. 

At a recent webinar (42nd National Forum Series - The Pesticide Threat to Environmental Health), Carolina Panis, PhD, (Ass. Professor of Medicine at Western Paraná State University in Brazil, and Visiting Researcher at Harvard University and the University of Arizona) spoke about pesticide exposure in women and breast cancer.  She discussed her recent research showing that women occupationally exposed to pesticides (e.g., as farm workers) and diagnosed with breast cancer seem to have more aggressive disease, also at younger ages, than unexposed women. An increased mortality rate went along with this.

She also discussed an interesting finding regarding women living in farm areas (with heavy pesticide use) in Brazil. Not only is occupational exposure to pesticides linked to breast cancer, but additionally - women having chronic (daily) exposure are also exposed to pesticide residues when washing clothing used by someone who had applied pesticides. Laundry exposure! Women absorb pesticide residues (e.g., glyphosate, atrazine) from the pesticide contaminated clothing, which increases the amount of pesticides in their bodies and this is also linked to breast cancer.

The women she looked at lived in farming areas, and additionally many had their residences frequently sprayed for insects. Ultimately, women exposed to high levels of pesticides tend to develop metastatic untreatable breast cancer, and at a younger age (unlike other areas where breast cancer is highly treatable). She pointed out that pesticides also have a negative effect on the immune system.

From the article by C. Pannis and B. Lemos: Pesticide Exposure and Increased Breast Cancer Risk In Women Population Studies

Women in rural regions are at risk for exposure to pesticides by equipment decontamination, unprotected clothes washing, pesticide drift, chemical spraying in the field, and other routes of exposure in the household. Pesticides can act on mammary gland cells in direct and indirect ways, augmenting the risk for breast cancer development. ...continue reading "Pesticides and Breast Cancer"

Published on Leave a comment on Pesticides and Pediatric Cancers

Cancer is feared by all. It seems to strike randomly, but not always. Certain cancers that occur in both children and adults, such as brain cancer and leukemia, are linked with some commonly used pesticides. Exposures to these pesticides occur many ways - whether from nearby  farm use, or in foods or the water  we drink, or air (pesticide drift), or residential use (e.g., the weed killer 2,4-D on lawns). Exposure is typically not to just 1 harmful chemical, but to mixtures of pesticides, especially on farms.

Children are especially vulnerable to pesticides. Research shows that there is an increase in some cancers in children in farm areas (e.g., Nebraska and the US midwest) where pesticides are heavily used. A recent study by Dr. Taiba and colleagues found that in Nebraskan counties with heavy farm pesticide use (especially Holt county) children living there had an increase not just in "overall pediatric cancers", but in specific types of cancers. These cancers included brain and other central nervous system tumors, leukemia, and lymphoma.

Keep in mind that in the US millions of pounds of pesticides are used each year, with farm areas having the heaviest use. Dr. Taiba reported that the US is the #1 country in the world in pesticide use. Among the most heavily used in the Nebraskan farms are atrazine, 2,4-D, glyphosate, dicamba, paraquat.

But don't ignore residential use of pesticides. Many of the same pesticides, such as glyphosate and 2,4-D, are commonly used in residential areas, especially for weed and insect control. Feed and Weed, which is used on lawns for weed control, contains 2,4-D. Pesticides have harmful effects on humans, and yet pesticide use is increasing annually.

From Beyond Pesticides: Dire Pediatric Cancer Risk Linked to Pesticide Mixtures, Laws To Protect Children Found To Be Lax

Childhood cancers are on the rise globally; in the U.S. cancer is the second most common cause of death in children between one and 14 years old, and the fourth most common in adolescents. A recent study of Nebraska pesticide use and pediatric cancer incidence by researchers from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Idaho Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences found positive associations between pesticides and overall cancer, brain and central nervous system cancers, and leukemia among children (defined as under age 20). ...continue reading "Pesticides and Pediatric Cancers"

Published on Leave a comment on Male Sperm Counts Continue to Decline
Human sperm Credit: Wikipedia

When looking at the research, it is striking that so many chemicals that we are exposed to daily are harming us. Health harms include an increase in certain cancers (e.g., brain cancer and leukemia from certain pesticides) and reproductive effects. This can be seen clearly when research shows that sperm counts are declining globally 2.64% per year since 2000.

A recent report from HEAL (Health and Environmental Alliance in the European Union) found that along with this, infertility rates, testicular cancer, and prostate cancer are increasing. This is alarming!

HEAL’s report (author Dr. Cannarella) details alarming indications of catastrophe in male reproductive health: prostate cancer, testicular cancer, crashing sperm counts, infertility, and numerous developmental problems including cryptorchidism, urogenital malformations, and hypospadias. The report highlights pesticides, microplastics, phthalates, bisphenols, PFAS and heavy metals as the likely environmental sources of the crisis. There is evidence that all of these endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) adversely affect male reproductive function.

Excerpts from the latest research on the drop in sperm counts globally and declines in male reproductive health, the science report from HEAL: Chemical pollution and men’s health: A hidden crisis in Europe

A 2023 meta-analysis by Levine et al. showed that global sperm counts declined by 52% between 1973 and 2018. European countries showed similar or even steeper declines, especially in Western and Southern Europe. ...continue reading "Male Sperm Counts Continue to Decline"

Published on Leave a comment on Our Pets Are Early Warning Systems For Pollutants

The NY Times recently published a nice article on how our pets are sensitive to the same pollutants in the environment as humans, and can act as early warning systems or sentinels. This is because they respond faster and are more sensitive than humans to many pollutants - whether in the air (air pollution), in household dust, water, or on the ground and lawns.

Since they live shorter lives than us, negative effects, such as cancers, show up faster in pets than in humans. For example, they get the same cancers as us from lawn pesticides us, but years faster. A recent study found that on days with an increase in air pollution (from fine particulate matter) pet dogs and cats significantly increase veterinary visits.

Do go read the whole article. Excerpts from NY Times: In a Toxic World, Pets Could Be Vital Health Watchdogs

On a frigid February night in 2023, a freight train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. For days, the train’s hazardous contents spilled into the surrounding soil, water and air. It was an environmental and public health catastrophe, and efforts are underway to monitor the long-term health effects on the people of East Palestine.

But one team of scientists is focused on a different group of local residents: the dogs. After the derailment, the researchers recruited dog owners in and around East Palestine, asking them to attach chemical-absorbing silicone tags to their pets’ collars. ...continue reading "Our Pets Are Early Warning Systems For Pollutants"

Published on Leave a comment on Weed-Killer Glyphosate and Cancer

Remember when back in 2015 the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) said that the pesticide glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup) is a probable human carcinogen (cancer causing)? And the American chemical industry and FDA pooh-poohed that? Well, there have been a number of studies since then finding that yes, glyphosate results in tumors and other health harms, and is cancer causing (carcinogenic).

Glyphosate is a commonly used herbicide (weed killer), the most used herbicide in the world. Its use has been increasing annually, especially due to the increase in genetically modified crops being grown.

In the latest study, an international team of researchers found that long-term daily exposure (starting prenatally and continuing after birth) to low glyphosate levels considered "safe" by government agencies resulted in multiple benign and malignant tumors, and increased rates of early death in the rats after birth. Yes, the study was done with rats, but... they are mammals, just like us humans. Rats are frequently used in studies to assess chemical safety.

The doses used in the study are currently considered safe by regulatory agencies and correspond to the EU Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) and the EU’s No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) for glyphosate. By the way, European standards are STRICTER than USA standards. A person eating a typical diet with non-organic foods easily ingests the levels considered acceptable by European governing bodies, and in the US ingests even more. [NOTE: Eat organic foods to avoid glyphosate.]

From Environmental Health News: Common pesticide causes multiple malignant tumors in rats

In short: Exposure to glyphosate herbicides caused multiple benign and malignant tumors in rats, including leukemia and cancers of the skin, liver, thyroid, nervous system, ovary, uterus, and kidneys, among others. ...continue reading "Weed-Killer Glyphosate and Cancer"

Published on Leave a comment on Bees Are Attracted to Mint Flowers

There have been so few bees in my garden the last few years that I get excited when I see one. This bee seems to really like the flowers of my mint plant.

Yes, it is an invasive plant that gardeners are warned about. But bees are attracted to the plant because the nectar and pollen are food for them and their hive.

Another herb that attracts bees is oregano. A big plus is that both mint and oregano plants are ignored by the numerous local deer.

By the way, the bee and butterfly numbers are so diminished in my neighborhood due to all the pesticides being used on lawns and plants. Pesticides = kills bees and butterflies

Published on Leave a comment on The Pesticides We’re Exposed to Disrupt the Gut Microbiome

Millions of pounds of pesticides are used each year in the US: on farms, in buildings and homes, on lawns, in pet flea and tick products - basically everywhere. And so the pesticides eventually wind up in us - from the foods we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe (when pesticides drift during applications or when used indoors), and the treated lawns and ground we walk on.

We are continuously exposed to low levels of multiple pesticides, but it is unknown what this does to us. Recently, a study examined the effect of multiple pesticide exposures on gut health and found that they killed off many beneficial (good) bacteria and had harmful alterations on gut bacteria metabolism. Uh-oh.

Bottom line: Many studies show that we can quickly (within 2 weeks) reduce the amount of pesticides (pesticide residues) in our bodies by eating as many organic foods as possible. Also, use nontoxic IPM (Integrated Pest Management) in the home, and reduce pesticide use in and out of the home (on lawns and gardens).

From Beyond Pesticides: Study Maps the Gut Microbiome and Adverse Impacts of Pesticide Residues

Researchers developed a novel tool* in a recent study published in Nature Communications this year that successfully creates a map of the “pesticide-gut microbiota-metabolite network,” identifying “significant alterations in gut bacteria metabolism.”

...continue reading "The Pesticides We’re Exposed to Disrupt the Gut Microbiome"

Published on Leave a comment on Dogs Pollute Water With Flea and Tick Treatments

Flea and tick treatments using the insecticides fipronil and imidacloprid are commonly used on pet dogs, whether as spot-on treatments or collars. However, many people have concerns over whether the pesticides come off the dog and get into the environment or even on the people interacting with the dog. And how about dogs that sleep in the same bed with their owners?

A recent study is adding to the growing body of evidence that says we are right to be concerned - that yes, insecticides used on dogs, whether spot-treatments or flea collars, do come off for days. In this latest study, scientists applied spot-on treatments of either fipronil and imidacloprid to 49 dogs.

After 5, 14, and 28 days the dogs were immersed in water for 5 minutes and the levels of the pesticides in the water were measured. Yikes! The pesticides were detected in 100% of all water samples. In fact, even at day 28 it was quite a bit  - exceeded safe levels. The researchers said that after being treated, that dogs should not go swimming in water for 4 weeks (far longer than the current 4 day pesticide guidelines).

The study results could explain why these 2 pesticides are contaminating water bodies (e.g., ponds). The researchers write:

"Recent reports reveal widespread fipronil and imidacloprid contamination of fresh waters in the UK despite restrictions on agricultural use, frequently occurring at concentrations that ecotoxicity studies have shown can harm aquatic life.13-15 ... New research has shown that ‘down-the-drain’ household transfer from treated pets, and subsequent entry via wastewater, is a major source of fipronil and imidacloprid freshwater pollution.17 High concentrations and strong positive correlations with dog swimming activity have also been demonstrated in dog swimming ponds, indicating that dog swimming is a further source of surface water pollution.18"

To get a sense of how toxic these 2 pesticides are: both insecticides are banned in the EU for agricultural use, and even have restrictions in agricultural use in the US. Yet, they are commonly used on our pets. Even when taken orally (pills), the dogs excrete the pesticides in their feces and urine, contaminating the environment. The researchers suggest only treating pets when needed with these pesticides, and not when there isn't a need (in other words, don't do "routine prevention" if there isn't a need).

From an article by Michael Le Page in New Scientist: Dogs pollute water with pesticides even weeks after flea treatment

If your dog will jump in the nearest river, pond or lake given half a chance, don’t use spot-on treatments for fleas and ticks, say researchers.

A study has shown that when dogs are immersed in water, their skin and fur can release levels of the active ingredients harmful to aquatic wildlife and the animals that eat them – including birds – for up to 28 days after treatment. ...continue reading "Dogs Pollute Water With Flea and Tick Treatments"

Published on Leave a comment on Chemicals of Concern Found In the Bodies of Young Children

Once again, those wondering about the chemicals lurking inside us have bad news. In a long-running study, researchers tested 201 young children (aged 2 to 4 years old) and found that all of them have many dangerous chemicals ("chemicals of concern") in their bodies. Some of the chemicals were in higher levels in the children than in their mothers during pregnancy.

In this study pregnant women from 4 states had their urine analyzed, and later the urine of their children when they were 2 to 4 years old. The testing of blood and urine from a person and looking for certain chemicals is called biomonitoring.

The researchers only looked for  111 chemicals and found that at least 5 children had 96 of them detected in their urine. Over 50% of the children had 48 chemicals detected. Thirty four of the chemicals were detected in over 90% of the children. But keep in mind that they only looked for a limited number of chemicals. Some of the chemicals found are not being monitored in adult biomonitoring. Many chemicals we are routinely exposed to, such as the common pesticide glyphosate (found in many non-organic foods) were not looked at.

One trend the researchers found is that levels of 2,4-D (pesticide used as a herbicide or weed-killer) are trending upwards over time. This is because 2,4-D is commonly used as a weed-killer on lawns (including Feed and Weed) and elsewhere, but it is also used on genetically modified crops.

The 111 chemicals tested for are from the foods and beverages children (and adults) ingest, personal care products (e.g., soap, lotion), the chemicals used in the home (e.g., pesticides, cleaning products) or chemicals outgassing from products used in the home (e.g., from non-stain synthetic rugs, plastic toys, vinyl floors). Children are exposed to the chemicals when they breathe indoor and outdoor air, eat food, touch surfaces or objects - both indoors and outdoors.

Bottom line: Eat as many organic foods as possible (pesticides such as 2,4-D and glyphosate are not allowed in organic food production). Additional tips: Lifestyle tips for avoiding harmful chemicals.

Excerpts from Science Daily: Researchers tested 200 toddlers — 96 chemicals were lurking in their bodies

A national study published in Environmental Science & Technology finds children aged 2 to 4 years in the United States are routinely exposed to a broad range of potentially harmful chemicals. Many of the chemicals the researchers identified are not routinely monitored and may pose health risks. ...continue reading "Chemicals of Concern Found In the Bodies of Young Children"

Published on Leave a comment on Living Near A Golf Course Increases Risk of Parkinson’s Disease

Many people think that living next to a golf course is wonderful, thinking that it's lots of open space. But... it also comes with exposure to all the pesticides used on golf course lawns (pesticides drift through the air to neighboring properties and also get into water). Unfortunately, pesticides can cause health harms, including Parkinson's disease.

A recent study found that the closer a person lives next to a golf course, the higher the incidence of Parkinson's disease. In fact, living within a mile of a golf course is associated with a 126% increased risk for Parkinson's disease. The biggest risk was for individuals living 1 to 3 miles from a golf course.

Additionally, drinking water from groundwater that includes a water source from a golf course was associated with an almost two-fold increased risk for Parkinson's disease (due to drinking water contamination).

While this observational study showed an association with Parkinson's disease, other studies also show that exposure to certain pesticides increases the risk of Parkinson's disease. Some of the pesticides linked to increase risk of Parkinson's disease: 2,4-D, chlorpyrifos, MCPP, maneb, paraquat, and rotenone. (Note that pesticides such as 2,4-D are also commonly found in feed and weed products.)

Another disturbing thing to keep in mind is that American golf courses use greater amounts and more pesticides, including pesticides that are banned in Europe, compared to European golf courses. Just think of weed-free carpet-like lawns as poison lawns.

Excerpts from Medical Xpress: Golf course proximity linked to higher Parkinson's disease risk

Barrow Neurological Institute and Mayo Clinic-led researchers report an association between living near golf courses and increased Parkinson's disease (PD) risk in a study published in JAMA Network Open. ...continue reading "Living Near A Golf Course Increases Risk of Parkinson’s Disease"