Chemicals in weed killer could be driving rise in prostate cancer – as cases surge in younger men
More than a dozen chemicals used in commonly used weed killers may raise the risk of prostate cancer, alarming research suggested today.
Tests on almost 300 pesticides found 22 had ‘direct’ links with the disease, with four shown to raise the likelihood of death.
One is the main ingredient in the popular spray Roundup, which was earlier this year also blamed for causing one American man’s blood cancer.
Just a handful of the 22 identified, however, are currently legal in the UK.
US researchers claimed the probe showed how important the environment was as a risk factor for the illness, which kills more than 11,500 men in the UK every year.
But they acknowledged the paper was merely observational and cannot prove causality.
Dr Simon John Christoph Soerensen, study lead author and prostate cancer expert at Stanford University, said his research could ‘potentially explain’ some of the ‘geographic variation’ in prostate cancer incidence and deaths across the United States.
‘By building on these findings, we can work towards reducing the number of men affected by this disease.’
Tests on almost 300 pesticides found 22 pesticides had ‘direct’ links with the disease, with four shown to raise the likelihood of death
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 1,000 different pesticides are used globally.
They are used in agriculture to control weeds, insect infestation and disease carriers like mosquitoes, ticks, rats and mice. They also enable farmers to protect crop quantity and quality.
Some are also used to make products bought by gardeners to protect their crops at home, such as RoundUp.
Pesticide consumption has grown almost 60 per cent since 1990 reaching 2.66bn kg (5.86bn lbs) by 2020.
But the elderly, children and unborn babies are especially susceptible to the adverse effects of pesticides.
In the study, researchers assessed data on annual estimated usage of the 295 pesticides between 1997 to 2001.
They then compared it against prostate cancer diagnoses and deaths between 2011 and 2015, to account for the slow-growing nature of most prostate cancers.
The same was done for pesticide use between 2002 to 2006 and prostate cancer outcomes from 2016 to 2020.
More than 52,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year on average in the UK, making it the most common cancer in men
Writing in the journal Cancer, the researchers said 19 of the 22 pesticides associated with prostate cancer had never been linked to the disease before.
But just eight of these 22 are currently authorised for use in the UK.
Of these included the agricultural weedkiller 2,4-dichloroacetic acid, better known as 2,4-D.
Animal studies have shown exposure to it during pregnancy is associated with lower body weight and changes in offspring behavior.
Other research has shown there is an increased link to lymphoma, and long-term exposure may result in kidney and liver damage.
Another, glyphosate — the main ingredient in Roundup — is also a known endocrine disruptors, which can interfere with hormone systems.
Endocrine disruptors have also been linked to an array of health problems including birth defects and developmental disorders.
Glyphosate is found in Roundup’s ‘Fast Action Ready to Use’ weedkiller and ‘Ready to Use Path weedkiller’ in the UK.
The makers of Roundup—Monsanto and its owner Bayer AG—have repeatedly assured the public that their product is safe and does not pose a threat to human health
This CRUK chart shows prostate cancer incidence over time among different age groups, whilst older men remain the most likely to get the disease rates have dramatically increased among younger men since the 90s
Its makers —Monsanto and its owner Bayer AG— however, have repeatedly assured the public that their product is safe and does not pose a threat to human health.
Earlier this year, however, Pennsylvania groundskeeper John McKivison, 49, won a multi-billion-dollar lawsuit against Bayer after he had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2020, which he and attorneys successfully argued was a result of using Roundup for two decades.
According to the researchers, four of the 22 pesticides were also associated with prostate cancer deaths.
While available in the US, none of the four — trifluralin, cloransulam-methyl, thiamethoxam and diflufenzopyr — are legally used in the UK.
One in eight men will develop prostate cancer at some point in their lives, charities say. More than 52,000 men in Britain are diagnosed each year.
But thousands are diagnosed once it has already spread, making it the second most common cause of cancer death in men after lung cancer.
Experts are in agreement that early detection is key to boosting survival rates.
Unlike other forms of cancer – which can be very difficult to diagnose in their early stages – prostate cancer has a relatively effective screening method.
PSA tests check for high levels of a protein that indicates the prostate is not functioning as it should.
The risk of prostate cancer increases with age, with most cases diagnosed in men aged 50 or older, the NHS says.
A high PSA score is not always a sign of cancer — it can also be triggered by an enlarged prostate, an infection, by sexual activity or even riding a bike.
However, patients with high results are usually sent for scans to identify the cause.
But the majority of men under 50 do not have their PSA tested unless they have symptoms.
Charities have been advocating for years to have this rule changed – particularly for men with underlying risk factors.
Symptoms of the disease include needing to urinate more often, having to wait longer before you can pass urine, erectile dysfunction, blood in urine, weight loss or any new and unexplained lower back pain.
