Pesticide Use And Cancer

By Cliff Walsh

Despite the fact that farmers, factory workers in pesticide plants, and those employees that apply these chemicals suffer from cancer at rates significantly more than other Americans, the U.S. government continues sit idly by while the agricultural industry dumps hundreds of millions of pounds of dangerous chemicals on our food each year, roughly three pounds per American. The government funds very little research and provides little oversight to the use of pesticides. It's even in our drinking water.

Farmers use insecticides and herbicides to rid crops of bugs, harmful plants, germs, and smaller animals. Is it hard to believe that the same pesticides that can kill bugs, small animals, and bacteria can also kill cells in the human body? Studies have shown that these chemicals can change our DNA, which can unleash the spread of carcinogenic cells.

Many of these dangerous chemicals are also fat soluble, meaning they can remain in our fat cells for years. I went through about two weeks of detox symptoms when I converted to an organic vegan diet. There were definitely chemicals hitting my blood stream. The most common symptom is a consistent headache.

Despite a lack of government effort, the amount of research that has been done by private organizations on the link between cancer and pesticides is monumental and damning. In a U.S. study, 56,000 farm workers who sprayed pesticides were tested for skin cancer. Results were compared to the workers' time spent administering certain pesticides. The risk of skin cancer increased as exposure rose, to as high as 2.5x more for those with the highest chemical exposure.

The diverse landscape of Argentina can be helpful in illustrating the connection between cancer and pesticides. Their Ministry of Health completed a study that showed a strong connection between the two. Areas of low pesticide use had low cancer rates while the opposite was true in high application areas. This is a useful report for U.S. citizens to understand as Argentina's agricultural industry is very similar to ours with respect to the usage of both pesticides and genetically-modified organisms (GMOs).

Pesticide usage has been linked to a wide range of cancers, including leukemia, lymphoma as well as cancer of the breast, brain, lungs, and prostate.

Despite the fact that pesticide companies say their products are safe, it's obvious based on the contrary research that we shouldn't believe them. Either they are lying or don't know what they're doing, since they are the same people who told us that DDT and PCBs were safe, prior to them being banned.

Eat organic fruits and vegetables, at least those without hard shells or thick protective skins. While I don't recommend it, if you stick with foods doused with pesticides, wash and/or peel the skin. I also suggest you get a water filter for your drinking water.