Pesticides in agriculture pose cancer risks comparable to smoking, a recent study reveals.
- Pesticides are crucial in modern agriculture for high crop yields and food security, but they can have negative effects on plant and animal life as well as on people.
- A nationwide study in the US compared the cancer risk from agricultural pesticide use with smoking, revealing comparable risks for some types of cancer.
- The study highlighted that pesticide exposure in farming communities can have a significant impact on cancer risk, especially for non-Hopkins lymphoma, leukemia, and bladder cancer.
- Researchers found that the combination of multiple pesticides used in farming regions, known as pesticide cocktails, contributes to increased cancer risk.
- The study emphasized the importance of considering the broader implications of pesticide use in agriculture, even for those who are not directly exposed, in order to raise awareness about the potential health risks.
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Oncology, Public Health & Prevention