Login
In the International Journal of Epidemiology, researchers from France assess the risks of kidney cancer with a wide range of agricultural activities and tasks, finding that occupational exposure heightens kidney cancer risk.
In studying participants from the French AGRIculture and CANcer cohort (AGRICAN) with incident kidney cancer, elevated risks of disease development between 25-56% are documented for both men and women engaging in agricultural activities.
In men, the authors find increased kidney cancer in those “working with rapeseed and sunflowers, and tasks related to other crops such as corn, wheat/barley, beet, and tobacco.”
In women, an increased risk is noted for winegrowers and corn growers.
“Pesticide use (on fields and/or seeds) was associated, for both sexes, with these crops, showing exposure-response relationships with crop area and work duration,” the researchers stated.
This study, of a large cohort of agricultural workers, highlights the disproportionate risks of adverse kidney health to farmworkers directly handling pesticides or encountering pesticide residues on recently treated products.
According to the World Cancer Research Fund, kidney cancer is the 14th most common cancer worldwide, affecting men more often than women. Kidney cancer incidence and mortality have increased globally, with various causes, such as occupational exposure to environmental contaminants, as established risk factors.
Evidence from meta-analyses and large case-control studies provides evidence that links pesticides and kidney cancer, as they show elevated kidney cancer risks in pesticide-exposed individuals.
“Furthermore, kidney cancer latency is uncertain, with some studies indicating a 20- and 30-year delay post-exposure,” the authors noted. (See studies here and here.)
Study methodology and results
In the current study, the AGRICAN cohort contains 654 cases of incident kidney cancer, as “identified through cancer registries from 2005-2007 until 31 December 2017.”
The affected individuals filled out mailed questionnaires detailing exposure to pesticides and farm activities, such as applying pesticides or sowing/harvesting sprayed crops. The questionnaire included information on 13 crop types and five types of livestock on farms.
As the researcher said, “Incident cases of kidney cancer and their histologic subtypes were obtained from the population-based cancer registries of each of the 11 participating areas, with histologic confirmation for each case.”
From this information, statistical analyses were performed to determine associations between agricultural exposure and kidney cancer risk. These were conducted separately for men and women to account for genetic, etiological and exposure differences.
Of the total 654 incident kidney cancer cases, 467 occurred in men and 187 occurred in women, displaying a 2.5:1 ratio.
As a result, increases in kidney cancer risks in men are observed in rapeseed, sunflower and tobacco growers, with direct exposure to pesticide treatments, seeds and sowing showing positive associations with the disease across all of these crops.
“An increased risk was also observed in growers of wheat and/or barley, corn, beet, and field vegetables,” the authors noted.
In terms of livestock exposure and kidney cancer incidence, a slight increase in risk is observed in men for pigs, poultry and sheep.
In females, increased risks are observed for winegrowers and corn growers, reaching 56% and 25%, respectively. The data shows a risk increase of over 40% for “women working in wineries, using pesticides in vineyards and corn crops, and taking part in grape harvesting and vineyard maintenance.”
The researchers continued:
“The risk of kidney cancer increased both with the duration of exposure to winegrowing and with the size of the area under the vines. The risk almost doubled for a working duration of ~30 years and almost tripled for the largest vineyard areas. It also doubled for those treating seeds of corn crops.”
In summarizing the results, the authors stated:
“When the effect of various crops and livestock activities on 654 kidney cancers among farmers in the AGRICAN cohort was analysed, risks for specific crops and animal exposures appeared in both men and women.
“The study revealed a positive association between working in open field crops and other crops and the risk of kidney cancer, showing an increased risk ≤50%.”
Previous research
Cited in the study is additional scientific literature that connects pesticide exposure to adverse effects on kidney health. This includes:
- A case-control study in Canada of 157 cases of kidney cancer, where individuals report exposure to pesticides, finds that pesticide and herbicide exposure is associated with an increased risk.
- “Similar patterns were found a few years earlier in a case-control study in Denmark, with a doubling in risk for men exposed to insecticides or herbicides.”
- Positive associations are observed in a case-control study conducted in Italy involving kidney cancer and potato and fruit growing.
- Another study in Italian hospitals shows a two-fold increased risk for fruit farmers.
As shared in a Daily News article last year, titled “Study Reveals Mechanisms of Kidney Injury and Cancer from Exposure to Weed Killer Glyphosate,” a novel study in Scientific Reports combines computational analyses with toxicological data to identify pathways affected by exposure to the phosphanoglycine herbicide glyphosate.
The analyses identify glyphosate targets that correlate with kidney injury and kidney cancer, revealing pathways with significant glyphosate-induced alterations, including the dysregulation of nitrogen metabolism that leads to ammonia accumulation and oxidative stress, both of which contribute to renal (kidney) damage and carcinogenesis (development of cancer).
“This study provides a comprehensive investigation into the molecular mechanisms by which glyphosate may contribute to kidney injury and kidney cancer, employing an array of bioinformatics tools for target prediction, toxicity assessment, pathway enrichment analysis, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation,” the researchers stated.
The results of the analyses and simulations highlight the molecular mechanisms underlying glyphosate’s nephrotoxic (damaging to the kidneys) and carcinogenic (cancer-causing) effects.
Research on the effects of pesticides on kidney health has been documented for many years.
A previous Daily News from 2015, entitled “Kidney, Liver Damage Linked to Chronic, Low-Dose Glyphosate Exposure,” highlights a research study published in Environmental Health that links chronic, ultra-low dose exposure to glyphosate in drinking water to adverse impacts on the health of the liver and kidneys. (See additional coverage on kidney health here.)
The organic solution
As Beyond Pesticides has advocated for over 40 years, the path forward that best protects public health, as well as the health of all wildlife and the environment, is with organic agriculture and land management. These methods provide a holistic approach that eliminates the use of harmful petrochemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, such as those that cause kidney cancer, as displayed in the current study.
A recently published study from researchers at Prairie View A&M University in Texas, in the journal Sustainability, a study of organic agricultural systems from 1960 to 2021, concludes that “the outlook for U.S. organic fruit and vegetables is encouraging, supported by expanding consumer demand, government support, and improved conditions for international trade.”
While delivering upbeat findings, including health benefits, the study identifies tremendous obstacles to entry into organic farming, including the limited support for alternative pest management and pest control systems in the U.S. in recent modern history, compared to the assistance provided for highly subsidized, petrochemical-dependent agricultural practices. (See Daily News here.)
While science continues to prove that organic practices can be productive, profitable and safer for all, additional support is needed to implement a successful, widespread transition away from chemical-intensive land management. Add your voice to the organic movement and help make this possible!
Action
Meanwhile, the Republican Party-proposed Farm Bill (the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, H.R. 7567) has been widely criticized for gutting protections from pesticides, including provisions that shield chemical manufacturers from liability, preempt the authority of states and localities to restrict pesticides and slash protections from pesticides under all major environmental statutes.
Importantly, there are other elements in the proposed legislation that are being highlighted as undermining agricultural policies’ contribution to solving critical health, food security, biodiversity and climate concerns.
Originally published by Beyond Pesticides.
