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16/06/2008
People who spray pesticides have a higher risk of diabetes than the rest of the population, according to a new study. Scientists from the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) found that people who spent more than 100 days using chlorinated bug sprays were 20 to 200 per cent more likely to get diabetes, depending on which chemical they worked with. "The results suggest that pesticides may be a contributing factor for diabetes, along with known risk factors such as obesity, lack of exercise and having a family history of diabetes," said researcher Dale Sandler. "Although the amount of diabetes explained by pesticides is small, these new findings may extend beyond the pesticide applicators in the study."
The study, which is reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology, looked at data for almost 32,000 licensed applicators who did not have diabetes at the start of the study. Over five years, 1,171, about 3.7 per cent, were diagnosed with diabetes. The study is "one of the largest studies looking at the potential effects of pesticides on diabetes incidence in adults," co-author Freya Kamel said. "It clearly shows that cumulative lifetime exposure is important and not just recent exposure." Of 50 chemicals evaluated, the study pinpointed five insecticides - aldrin, chlordane, heptachlor, dichlorvos, and trichlorfon - as well as the herbicides alachlor and cyanazine. For all seven, the odds of developing diabetes increased with both any use and cumulative use, the researchers said.
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