According to new results from the Agrican survey, farmers risk different types of cancer depending on their sector of activity, which could be linked to the use of pesticides.
The impact of pesticides on health is once again singled out. According to the results of the Agrican survey (which studies cancer in agricultural settings) presented Tuesday, October 28, farmers risk different types of cancer depending on their type of farm. This difference could be due to the use of pesticides.
The study shows that the risk of lung cancer is thus twice as high among farmers engaged in the cultivation of fodder peas, in the pruning of fruit trees or in the cultivation of vegetables than in the general population, explains researcher Pierre Lebailly. , coordinator of the Agrican study. On the other hand, the risk is reduced in farmers who keep cattle or horses for more than twenty years.
For the risk of prostate cancer, the study shows that it is higher in growers of sunflower, tobacco, fruit and potatoes. This is also the case with cattle producers, which could be explained by the use of insecticides for animals, continues Pierre Lebailly.
As the study points out, France is the main user of pesticides in the European Union and the fifth in the world.
A study of 180,000 people
Since 2005, the Agrican survey has focused on around 180,000 members of the Mutualité sociale agricole (MSA): 54% are men, 54% are farm owners, and 50% are retirees living in 12 French departments. It aims to study the impact of farmers’ exposure to specific risks (pesticides, ultraviolet rays, animal viruses, etc.), and in particular their cancer risks.
The study shows that two other cancers are significantly higher in farmers: multiple myeloma (a hematologic cancer that affects cells that make blood cells) in men and skin melanoma (skin cancer) in women. . A total of about 7,000 new cases of cancer were observed between 2005 and December 2009.
The next stage of the study will be to study the effects of specific pesticides, in an attempt to establish a more direct link between cancers and the use of chemicals.
Better health than that of the rest of the population
However, it should be noted that the first results of the Agrican study, published in September 2011, had shown that, in general, the health of employees and farmers is better than that of the rest of the French population. “This can be explained by the specificities of the lifestyle of farm owners: a low prevalence of smoking, as well as a […] higher physical activity, ”explains Pierre Lebailly.
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