A new study suggests that exposure to 22 pesticides may increase the risk of developing prostate cancer
The research, led by Dr. Simon John Christoph Soerensen from Stanford University analyzed county-level pesticide use in the U.S. and compared it to prostate cancer rates from 2016 to 2020.
The team focused on pesticide data from 1997 to 2001 to account for the 10- to 18-year lag between exposure and cancer development.
The study found associations between 22 pesticides and higher prostate cancer risk, though it did not establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship.
Among these, three pesticides —including 2-4-D, a common herbicide—had previously been linked to prostate cancer.
Additionally, high exposure to four pesticides—trifluralin, cloransulam-methyl, diflufenzopyr, and thiamethoxam—was associated with both prostate cancer development and death from the disease.
While trifluralin is classified by the EPA as a “possible human carcinogen,” the other three chemicals are considered “not likely to be carcinogenic” or have no evidence of carcinogenicity.
The study underscores the importance of understanding environmental factors like pesticide exposure to explain regional differences in prostate cancer rates and to help reduce the disease’s impact.
