A recent study published in the International Journal of Cancer investigated the relationship between agricultural pesticide use and colorectal cancer by reviewing data from more than 56,000 people enrolled in the Agricultural Health Study. Of the 50 pesticides included in the study, two seemed to increase risk: aldicarb and chlorpyrifos.
Colon cancer risk was up to four times higher when exposed to aldicarb, a pesticide used on cotton, peanut, and soybean crops. Rectal cancer risk more than doubled for study participants with the most exposure to chlorpyrifos, a versatile chemical used to kill pests on food crops, tobacco, pasture land, and lawns.
It's important to note that this study examined exposure levels of people who applied the pesticides - not people who ate food with residual levels of the pesticides. Chlorpyrifos was supposed to be phased out of home-use products years ago, but it probably wouldn't hurt to check the label before buying or using pest control products, just to be on the safe side.
