Why People in the Midwestern States May Be Dramatically More Likely To Get Certain Cancers— Understanding Pesticides & Cancer Link

Researchers involved in the study looked into latent-class pesticide use patterns, as well as as other influential factors, to demonstrated a link between the use of pesticides and a rise in incidence of the following cancers: non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma; leukemia; bladder, colon, lung, and pancreatic cancer; as well as all cancers combined that can be compared to smoking and it’s relation to other types of cancers.

Some of the pesticides studied—Atrazine, Boscalid, dimethomorph, Dicamba, Dimethenamid, Dinotefuran, Glyphosate, Imazethapyr, and metolachlor —were main contributing factors in areas with higher rates of cancer incidences for all types of cancers and colon.

The study authors concluded. “Geographic trends showed that counties with higher agricultural productivity, such as the leading corn-producing states of the Midwest, also have increased cancer risk due to pesticide exposure.

“Our results highlight the relevance of comprehensive assessments for the development of policy considerations and the implementation of preventive measures to mitigate the risks for vulnerable communities. Our study pioneers and lays a holistic vision foundation for future pesticide-related cancer risk assessments.”

It was discovered that the Midwestern states, which has a higher production of corn, were affected the most by pesticides. When compared to the Great Plains, an area with the lowest pesticide usage, the Midwestern states had 154,541 more cancer cases.

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Additionally, it was found that pesticides raised one’s cancer risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma cases by 154% in comparison to smoking.

Other types of cancers, like bladder and leukemia, increased by 19 percent or 20 percent.

The researchers found that Florida’s usage of pesticides also led to the state having increased bladder and blood cancer rates.

Pesticides were strongly linked to blood cancers in individual cancer diagnoses, for example, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and leukemia.

It’s important to note this study did not include melanoma, due to the possibility of it’s factors of sun exposure and skin pigmentation levels.

Study authors also pointed out that their study is “not without limitations,” as “some of these limitations are data-wise; the availability and uniformity of the data bring some limitations, with some counties having data censored due to small populations and cancer rates.”

“Exposure cannot be linked to individual outcomes as this is an aggregate dataset. Methodologically, the heterogeneity in county size and population is one of the limitations of the study that can shift the leverage of certain counties or affect their reporting,” they explain. “Conceptually, the transient nature of certain populations that might have high exposure to pesticides, such as seasonal and migrant farmworkers, is not considered in our study.”

What Top Experts Say About The Possible Link Between Pesticides and Cancer

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of cancer that affects the immune system. It happens when the body pumps out an inordinate amount of abnormal white blood cells called lymphocytes. Over time, these cancerous lymphocytes crowd out the healthy white blood cells.

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While certain infections, bacteria, medications, and even increased age are well known risk factors for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, researchers have said that pesticides, one being the exposure to glyphosate, a common ingredient in weed killer, may be a culprit for increased risk.

Glyphosate is a key ingredient in herbicides used by farmers and homeowners alike. Until recently, the general consensus was that products containing glyphosate were safe for humans to use. Research suggests, however, that there may be an association between weed killer use and different types of cancer.

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Several studies report a link between glyphosate exposure and damage to the DNA in human cells. A subset of these studies show an association between glyphosate exposure and non-Hodgkin lymphoma and other blood cell-related cancers.

While a number of popular weed-killing brands use glyphosate in their formulations, Roundup weed killer has received the most attention in recent years. In one case, a federal jury ordered Monsanto, the makers of Roundup, to pay $80 million to a man who developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma after using Roundup for 30 years on his property (the amount was later lowered to $25 million).

Additionally, researchers have found  that weed killer is associated with increased risk of Leukemia, revealing that exposure to something called glyphosate increases the risk for developing one form of leukemia by 41%.

Glyphosate herbicides are the most widely used weed killer in the world. Agricultural giant Monsanto uses glyphosate for its “Roundup” herbicide. The study was led by respected researchers at a number of institutions who used a technique called “meta analysis,” looking at a number of previous pieces of research. The findings seem to directly contract the EPA’s assurance that the weed killer is not likely to be carcinogenic for humans.

SurvivorNet previously asked a leading expert about what he thinks.

“Based on the available data that we have and the correlations, it does seem that there is an association between exposure to herbicides and pesticides and increased risk for developing Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL),” says Dr. William Weirda, Director of Leukemia at MD Anderson Cancer Center. “It’s easier to make an association like smoking and lung cancer than it is to make these associations, but there are data that have accumulated over the years that do suggest that herbicides and pesticides are a risk for developing CLL.”

“CLL is a very slow growing disease,” explains Dr. Wierda. “Usually people have it for many years before they get the diagnosis. The exposures happened many years ago. But the connection and the association that’s made, and why we say Roundup is a potential exposure, is because they have these cohorts of individuals who had these exposures and there’s a high incidence among those individuals of CLL than there is in the general population.”

As for the results of the pesticide/leukemia study, they were released around the same time as a contradiction to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s recent release of a Draft Risk Assessment for Glyphosate. “The draft human health risk assessment concludes that glyphosate is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans.  The Agency’s assessment found no other meaningful risks to human health when the product is used according to the pesticide label,” says the EPA website.

Association Does Not Mean Cause

High payout lawsuits have certainly shined a light on a potential link between glyphosate-containing products and cancers of different varieties, but it’s important to remember that association does not mean cause.

“There hasn’t been a study that has conclusively proved a causal link between Roundup and lymphoma, although it does look like Roundup probably increases lymphoma risk,” says Dr. Catherine Diefenbach, a hematologist/oncologist at NYU Langone Health. “Instead, we need to understand why there’s a higher number of lymphoma cases among people who use Roundup.”

Whether or not glyphosate causes cancer, the chemical does appear on California’s list of cancer-causing agents. Some health authorities, including the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, call it a “probable human carcinogen.”

What’s the Bottom Line on Toxins in the Environment?

Although non-Hodgkin lymphoma is one of the most common cancers in the United States, as per The American Cancer Society, your odds of developing the disease over the course of your lifetime depends on a number of risk factors, including whether or not you frequently use weed killer.

“But I don’t think just because you used Roundup means you are going to get lymphoma,” Dr. Diefenbach says. “Most of the lymphomas that have been associated with Roundup appear to be non-Hodgkin lymphoma, so there’s not a clear Hodgkin lymphoma risk associated with using Roundup.”

It’s also important to note that glyphosate isn’t only in weed killer. It’s also in our food, water, and in the air that is all around us. Chances are good that every American has been exposed to some degree of glyphosate.

WATCH: The type of lymphoma you have matters.

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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