Pesticides
Major source of carcinogens
By Abdul Kaium
In a report in June, Washington-based Environmental Working Group (EWG) noted that up to 420 known or likely carcinogens have been measured in a diverse array of populations, and that exposure to these carcinogens is not limited to on-the-job contact with industrial chemicals, including pesticides.
According to the National Cancer Institute, an estimated 1.7 million new cases are likely to be diagnosed in the US this year. While some of these cases may be due to genetic makeup, others may be caused by substances in the air, soil, food and other materials in our environment.
Data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey, or NHANES, conducted annually by CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), confirms that many of these carcinogens are in people who are not at risk of occupational exposure. Indeed, at any given time some people may harbour dozens or hundreds of cancer-causing chemicals. Over half of the people tested in the USA had levels of arsenic and acrylamide in their bodies, high enough to give them more than 1 in 10,000 risk of cancer.
Arsenic is used in certain pesticides, and acrylamide is sometimes found in food packaging and certain foods _ potato chips and French fries have been found to have higher-than-average amounts of it. Other commonly found chemicals include benzene (found in petroleum), and DDT and DDE pesticides.
One chemical that has recently been in the spotlight is glyphosate, classified as a probable carcinogen, based on animal and epidemiological studies by the World Health Organisations International Agency for Research on Cancer. Glyphosate residues have been detected in foods and products that are not typically associated with heavy glyphosate use. Recent studies have found widespread presence of glyphosate residues in bread, breast milk, American and German beers and feminine hygiene products.
In February, a University of California, Los Angeles study found that pesticide mixtures are more harmful than individual pesticides. Pesticide products available for sale are often chemical mixtures of active ingredients that create a cocktail of toxins, while studies on pesticide combinations have demonstrated neurological, endocrine and immune effects at low doses.
Dr. Warren Porter; professor of zoology and environmental toxicology at the University of Wisconsin found that, This common lawn pesticide mixture is capable of inducing abortions and resorptions of fetuses at very low parts per billion. The greatest effect was at the lowest dose.
The link between pesticides and cancer has long been a concern. While agriculture has traditionally been tied to pesticide-related illnesses, 19 of 30 commonly used lawn pesticides and 28 of 40 commonly used school pesticides are linked to cancer. Even with the growing body of evidence linking environmental exposures to cancer in recent years.
The writer is assistant professor of Agricultural Chemistry, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka.
Source: EWG, Mother Jones.
