Study Finds Strong Link Between Pesticides and Brain Cancer

According to AFP, a French study found a significant link between high levels of common pesticides and an increase in the chance of brain cancer.

The research took place in the Bordeaux region of France, which is the country's largest producer of wine. About 80 percent of pesticides here are to keep fungus from infecting grape plants in vineyards, reports AFP.

The study focused on people who worked on farms and those who often spent time gardening in their home gardens. Both groups of people used insect and fungus pesticides to protect plants, said AFP.

The researchers in southwestern France studied a total of 221 cases of brain cancer and brain tumors. Those 221 cases were compared with 442 healthy cases of people of similar age, health history, and backgrounds. What the researchers found was shocking.

The French researchers found that all workers in the agriculture and farming careers that were exposed to insect and fungus pesticides had an increased risk of developing brain cancer compared to healthy people who do not work in the agriculture fields.

The workers who were exposed to the highest levels possible of the pesticides suffered from twice the risk of developing brain cancer and another form of cancer known as glioma, which is rarer and develops rapidly.

According to AFP, the study also found that those who treated their garden or household plants with pesticides had a "significant increase" in developing cancer, although it was not as high as the farmworkers group.

The information may be shocking, the study believes that the findings may not lead to developments in changing the way pesticides are labeled and used unless more statistics and numbers can be found.

Although there has been previous studies that linked pesticides to cancer, this study only added to this growing concept. The French researchers hope to continue their study more in-depth, says AFP.

Sources:
AFP. "French study boosts link between pesticides, brain cancer." Yahoo News. news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070605/hl_afp/healthcancerpesticides_070605230521;_ylt=AvZumxJC6ERmJCS3mOxQdsnMWM0F