The spread of various pesticides creates a cluster of cancer

A French and Peruvian study has revealed how exposure to a mixture of pesticides can lead to cancer risk.

A Franco-Peruvian study shows how in Peru exposure to a mixture of pesticides classified as "non-carcinogenic" leads to a risk of cancer.This finding approaches the challenge in assessing economies in isolation.

Cancer groups

Researchers from France (Institute for Development Research, Institut Pasteur and University of Toulouse) and Peru (National Institute of Neoplastic Diseases) collaborated to better understand the link between pesticide mixtures and cancer.

The studies conducted so far have taken into account the complexity of the known "cocktail effect" of simultaneous exposure to different pesticides.Their work was published in the journal Nature Health.

“Peru, the cradle of plant domestication, combines a rich agricultural heritage with strong socio-ecological pressures that are pushing the boundaries of the planet, making it a prime study area for modeling pesticide-related cancer risks,” the authors note, where pesticide use is flourishing.

Modeling to account for pesticide degradation and distribution identified areas most exposed to 31 of the nation's most widely used pesticides, none of which were considered proven carcinogens.

This map is combined with data from the registration of the Cancer Institute of Peru for the period 2007-2020, making it possible to highlight cancer groups.This suggests a strong geographical link between the risk of exposure to pesticides and the spread of cancer.

Researchers have identified 436 "hotspots" across Peru, where the risk of developing cancer is on average 150% higher than elsewhere.

"These areas at high risk of pesticide-related cancers are disproportionately contracted in rural areas subject to strong anthropogenic pressures," observe the authors.

"This finding highlights the complex interplay between environmental degradation, land-use dynamics and socio-economic marginalisation, putting the most vulnerable communities at the highest risk and increasing the urgency for targeted policies."

The hotspot located in central Peru involves areas affected by agricultural deforestation, where socio-economic disparities and land-use pressures exacerbate the risk of exposure.

Disorder at the molecular level

Especially in Junín, a region inhabited by several indigenous groups, an outbreak of liver cancer, pesticides and related to high exposure to pesticides was found.

"In Peru, hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of liver cancer, affects young adults who are not cirrhotic, especially in central areas of the country such as Junin," the authors say.

Si le virus de l’hépatite B est un facteur de risque majeur de carcinome hépatocellulaire, des causes environnementales pourraient également être en cause.

Pour mieux comprendre les mécanismes en jeu qui pourraient expliquer le lien entre pesticides et cancer, les chercheurs ont réalisé des analyses sur des échantillons tissulaires de péruviens résidant dans une zone à risque, atteints ou non de carcinome hépatocellulaire.

Ces analyses montrent au niveau moléculaire qu’une exposition chronique à un mélange de pesticides non cancérogènes perturbe l’identité et le fonctionnement des cellules, augmentant leur vulnérabilité et pouvant ainsi contribuer au risque de cancer du foie dans cette population.

"In areas with intensive agriculture, unstable land management, and limited access to health care, the spread of pesticides not only threatens ecological resilience, but also exacerbates health inequalities," the authors said.

The authors also warn about how climate events can change land use patterns and affect the spread of pesticides, "thereby increasing the risk of detection in the environment."

“With increasing global warming, this dynamic is likely to increase, further increasing the burden of environmentally derived cancers in exposed populations,” the researchers warn.

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