Presentations

Abstract

Pesticides are an essential feature of modern day agriculture, but have been previously linked to several types of cancer. Our study aims to reevaluate this relationship through a population-based perspective. We utilized county-level data on pesticide use and cancer incidence in the United States and adjusted for confounding variables such as county specific rates of smoking, socioeconomic vulnerability, and amount of agricultural land. Our findings demonstrated an association between pesticide usage and increased incidence of leukemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, bladder, colon, lung, pancreatic, cancers, and all cancers combined. We identified several geographic patterns that showed areas with higher agricultural production, such as counties in the Midwest, as having elevated additional risk attributed to pesticide exposure. Through our comprehensive analysis and unique approach, our study emphasizes the importance of acknowledging the risks of pesticide usage for communities, which may be used to impact future policies regarding pesticides.