Agricultural workers with extensive exposure to pesticides may have an elevated risk of brain cancer, new research suggests.
In a study of nearly 700 adults with or without brain tumors, French researchers found that agricultural workers with the highest level of exposure to pesticides were twice as likely to be diagnosed with brain cancer as those with no occupational pesticide exposure.
There was also evidence that people who treated their house plants with pesticides had an elevated brain cancer risk.
Past studies have linked pesticide exposure among farmers to adverse effects on the brain, such as a higher risk of Parkinson's disease.
