The use of pesticides has been linked to a sharp rise in colon cancer deaths in a developing country for the first time.
The use of pesticides has been linked to a sharp rise in colon cancer deaths in a developing country for the first time.
Colon cancer is the third most common type of cancer worldwide, accounting for about 10 per cent of all cases. It is more common in developed nations, but a few countries in Latin America, including Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay are now approaching the levels of incidence seen in the developed world.
Now a team of researchers from Brazil, Germany, and the United Kingdom have mapped the use of pesticides across Brazil between 2000 and 2012. They then compared this to the number of deaths from colon cancer during the same period.
They observed an overall increase of colon cancer, which was correlated with the amount of pesticides sold and used in the country. The study was published earlier this month in the journal Chemosphere.
Read more at SciDev.Net
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