Cancer Prevention: What You Need To Know

Pesticides and Cancer

Pesticides are compounds used to kill pests. Herbicides are pesticides used to kill weeds. Insecticides are pesticides used to kill insects. Fungicides are pesticides used for controlling disease on crops and seed. Fumigants are pesticides used as gases or liquids that turn to gas when released; they are used in enclosed spaces or to treat soil. In Iowa, herbicides and insecticides are the major types of pesticides used.

What Is Known About This Topic?

Farmers are relatively heavy users of pesticides. They appear to experience an excess of certain types of cancer, despite an overall lower all-cause death rate. In surveys from around the world, male farmers have increased death rates for cancers of the lip, stomach, brain, prostate, and connective tissues, as well as for lymphoma and leukemia. Specific agricultural exposures that might be responsible for this increase have not been clearly identified. Both men and women on farms have potential exposure to pesticides, animal viruses, mycotoxins, dusts, fuels and oils, engine exhaust, fertilizers, organic solvents, and paints. Cancers associated with pesticides include non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, leukemia, soft tissue sarcoma, and ovarian, lung, and breast cancers. Some of these cancers, such as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and soft tissue sarcoma, are also increasing in the general population of the United States, suggesting that a common set of exposures may be involved. Further research is needed to clarify the relationship between cancer and agricultural exposures, including pesticides.

What Can I Do to Prevent the Problem?

The major routes of exposure to pesticides are the skin and eyes. Other exposure routes include breathing and ingestion. Primary tasks associated with exposure include the handling, loading, mixing, and application of pesticides to crops, lawns and gardens, weeds, insects, and livestock. Steps you can take to ensure safe handling, storage, or discarding of pesticides include:

• Do not spray liquid or gaseous pesticides on windy days, to minimize pesticide "drift."
• Use the same precautions recommended for agricultural pesticides when using pesticides in and around your home, including in gardens and lawns.
• Read the label instructions on the container carefully before beginning any application.
• Use only the amount directed.
• Personal exposure can be decreased through the use of personal protective equipment. In Iowa, this most commonly involves the use of goggles and chemically resistant gloves. Parts of the body most commonly exposed are the hands, arms, and head/face.
• If storing pesticides, keep them in their original containers and make sure they are clearly labeled.
• Refasten all lids or closures tightly.
• Store in an area away from children and pets.
• If discarding, call the county health department to see if they have a hazardous waste collection program in your community.

Clothing, including hats and shoes or boots, can provide a continuing source of exposure if pesticide residues are not completely removed between wearings. Laundering suggestions include:

• If you spill pesticides, change clothing and wash the affected area immediately with soap and water.
• Remove work boots that are exposed to pesticides before entering your home.
• Clothing worn during the application of pesticides should be removed and kept separate from other laundry.
• If the clothing has been soiled with pesticides it should be pre-rinsed either by spraying or hosing down before washing, soaking in a tub or bucket and disposing of the water carefully, or pre-soaking in a washing machine, disposing of this water before washing.
• Use hot water (140 degrees F) for washing. Hot water removes more pesticides than does cold water.
• Do not over-crowd clothing in the washer.
• Fill the machine to the full level and use the normal length cycle.
• A heavy-duty detergent should be used.
• Do not use bleach and ammonia. Pesticides react with these two agents.
• Double rinse if possible.
• Line dry the clothing to avoid contaminating the dryer.
• Rinse the washing machine with a load of hot water before laundering other clothing.
• Clothing which has been saturated with a full-strength pesticide should be disposed of properly.

Where Can I Get More Information?

University of Iowa Resources

• University of Iowa Institute For Rural and Environmental Health
• Cancer Information Service (1-800-237-1225)

Other Resources

• State Health Registry of Iowa — Iowa Cancer Registry
• Iowa Center for Agricultural Safety and Health
• Iowa State University Extension: Protective Clothing
• Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
• The Agricultural Health Study
• National Pesticide Information Center
• The American Association of Poison Control Centers
• National Cancer Institute
• National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health

If you would like more information about pesticides and cancer or to obtain phone numbers to the above organizations, please contact the Cancer Information Service at 1-800-237-1225 or e-mail: cancer-information@uiowa.edu.

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