Exposed to biocidal products, healthcare professionals and housekeepers are at greater risk of developing thyroid cancer.
Disinfectants, insecticides, anti-mold … Daily exposure to these biocidal products would increase the risk of developing thyroid cancer by 65%, reveals a american study published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine. People exposed in their professional environment would be the most affected.
Researchers at Yale Public Health University (United States) came to this conclusion by studying 462 people with this cancer and 489 healthy volunteers between 2010 and 2011. Scientists were particularly interested in the link between incidence of this disease and exposure of participants to household and industrial products, or pesticides.
Farmers, landscapers and postmen were the professions most exposed to pesticides while health professionals, especially in hospitals, and housekeepers were more in contact with detergents and other household products.
Men most affected
“Our study does not show a link between occupational exposure to pesticides and the risk of developing thyroid cancer, but it suggests that occupational exposure to other biocides is associated with an increased risk of thyroid cancer”, Prof. Yawei Zhang explained to Reuters.
Researchers’ analysis reveals that women who use biocidal products on a daily basis have 48% more risk than others of being affected by thyroid cancer. In men, this risk is multiplied by 3.
Hormonal disturbance
Scientists have not yet identified the mechanisms explaining this increased risk associated with biocides. They suspect that these chemicals alter thyroid hormones. They cite in particular the example of triclosan, an anti-bacterial and anti-fungal substance used in soaps intended for surgeons. The latter has been shown to decrease the concentration of two thyroid hormones involved in metabolism and growth. They also evoke pentachlorophenol. In France, this molecule has been banned since 1944 but exemptions exist for the preservation of wood.
Despite the lack of explanations, the researchers advise the most exposed professionals to take their precautions when using these products, by wearing masks and protective clothing. After all use, they should also wash their hands, they recommend.
In France in 2015, 10,100 people developed thyroid cancer, including 7,300 women. Since 1980, the incidence of this disease has increased by 577%. Like all cancers, thyroid cancer is a multifactorial disease. If genetic predispositions are known, it is also established that internal or external exposure to ionizing radiation and iodine deficiency are involved.
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