When it comes to the impact environmental chemicals such as pesticides have on health, there are generally two schools of thought. One of these is that there's no evidence of harm, and there is therefore nothing to be concerned about.
Others are more circumspect, bearing in mind the very alien-to-nature form of these compounds and their capacity to have a potent biological effect in the body. As a result, some end up judging that these substances may possibly have an adverse effect on health.
In a recent study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, scientists from the National Institutes of Health assessed the relationship between pesticide exposure and risk of diabetes [1]. The individuals assessed in this study comprised some 33,000 individuals who worked in agriculture, whose job it was to apply pesticides.
Exposure to some 50 pesticides and risk of diabetes was assessed. The researchers found that exposure to several specific pesticides was linked with an increased risk of diabetes.
The researchers specifically looked at the risk associated with lifetime exposure of more than 100 days to each chemical. This level of exposure to the pesticides chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and heptachlor was associated with a 24, 59, and 94 percent increased risk of diabetes respectively. Other pesticides also seemed to have a significant link with diabetes.
This sort of study cannot be used to prove that pesticides can cause diabetes. However, the authors of this study do refer to other existing work in animals and humans that supports a link. The authors of the study also conclude that, "long-term exposure from handling certain pesticides, in particular, organochlorine and organophosphate insecticides, may be associated with increased risk of diabetes."
References:
1. Montgomery MP, et al. Incident Diabetes and Pesticide Exposure Among Licensed Pesticide Applicators: Agricultural Health Study, 1993–2003. American Journal of Epidemiology 2008 167(10): 1235–1246
Dr. John Briffa is a London-based doctor and author with an interest in nutrition and natural medicine.
Dr. Briffa's Web site
Feeds