Are Pesticides A Cancer Risk?
The Defender’s Big Food NewsWatch brings you the latest headlines related to industrial food companies and their products, including ultra-processed foods, food additives, contaminants, GMOs and lab-grown meat and their toxic effects on human health
Pesticides have transformed modern agriculture by boosting production yields and helping alleviate food insecurity amid rapid global population growth.
However, from a public health perspective, exposure to pesticides has been linked to numerous harmful effects, including neurologic disorders like Parkinson’s disease, weakened immune function, and an increased risk for cancer.
Pesticide exposure has been associated with cancers such as colorectal cancer, lung cancer, leukemia (in children and adults), lymphoma and pancreatic cancer.
But these studies primarily have focused on specific groups of individuals with known exposure to certain pesticides or cancer types, thus offering a limited perspective.
A comprehensive assessment of how pesticide use affects cancer risk across a broader population has yet to be conducted.
A recent population-level study aimed to address this gap by evaluating cancer risks in the U.S. population using a model that accounts for pesticide use and adjusts for various factors.
The goal was to identify regional disparities in exposure and contribute to the development of public health policies that protect populations from potential harm.
Ultra-Processed Food Linked With Diabetes Risk, Study Says
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have been linked with type 2 diabetes risk, an English study published on Monday has found.
Analyzing the diets and health outcomes of 311,892 Europeans, researchers found that every 10 percent increase of UPF in a person’s diet was associated with a 17 percent increase in diabetes risk.
And when 10 percent of the UPFs in their diet were replaced with less processed foods, it reduced diabetes risk by up to 18 percent.
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease that affects an estimated 11.6 percent of the U.S. population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and is connected with poor diet.
Three Decades Later, BHA Remains in Food
Environmental Working Group reported:
In 1990, a doctor filed a petition asking the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban the use of the additive BHA in food — and they’re still waiting for a response.
BHA, or butylated hydroxyanisole, is a preservative used in cured meats and other foods.
It’s also found in some types of rubber, plastic and glue. More than 4,600 foods contain BHA. Many studies show it may cause cancer in humans exposed to it through what they eat.
The FDA has considered BHA “generally recognized as safe,” or GRAS, since 1958, when Congress first passed the law establishing a pre-market food additive review process.
This means the FDA allowed it in food without ever reviewing it for safety.
In response to a White House directive to evaluate all GRAS substances, in 1978, the committee conducting this review for BHA found “uncertainties.”
The panel recommended further studies on the preservative’s toxicity and its impact on the liver.
Despite these concerns, the FDA allowed BHA to remain on the market and retain its GRAS status.
Since then, BHA has been listed as a known carcinogen under California’s Proposition 65 since 1990 and been classified as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” by the National Toxicology Program since 1991.
Doctor Who Sounded Alarm on Ultra-Processed Food Urges Tougher Action
Pity the poor students as they head off to university, ready to survive until Christmas on instant noodles and breakfast cereal.
The first doctor to raise the health alarm on ultra-processed foods believes it is time to put a tax on those noodles — and he even has ice-cream in his sights.
Prof Carlos Augusto Monteiro says the strength of the evidence of the problems such food causes for “most body systems” leaves “no doubt” that governments need to act now.
“Strong policies, as soon as possible” on ultra-processed foods are needed to reduce chronic diseases in countries across the globe, says Monteiro.
If we wait another 10 years to act, “this will be a tragedy, because this has a cost”.
Study Finds Thousands of Food-Contact Chemicals in Humans, Raising Safety Concerns
In a recent study published in The Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, researchers analyzed biomonitoring data and other databases to investigate the presence of food-contact chemicals (FCCs) in humans.
Their findings indicate that 25 percent of known FCCs are present in humans, with many lacking comprehensive hazard data, which could help improve food safety and public health policies.
People can be exposed to various synthetic chemicals through household items, medication, food, products used for personal care and the environment.
FCCs migrate from packaging and processing materials into food, which is then consumed, contributing to this exposure.
Chemicals like bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates have been studied, leading to bans on the use of BPA in various products, including baby bottles.
However, BPA continues to be found in packaging and other materials that come into contact with food, and thousands of other FCCs are used in manufacturing.
Congress Unlikely to Pass Farm Bill Before Sept. 30 Deadline. Here’s How It Affects You
Austin American-Statesman reported:
Farmers, ranchers and various agricultural producers are urging Congress to pass a new Farm Bill as the Sept. 30 deadline approaches.
But with only 10 days remaining and peak campaign season underway ahead of the Nov. 5 election, it is increasingly likely that the 2018 Farm Bill will be extended for another year.
In May, the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture passed its version of the bill, which included several significant changes related to hemp products and food stamps.
Since then, there has been little progress, with no further action taken on the House floor, and the bill has not even been publicly considered by the Senate.
US Wastewater Tests Show Bird Flu Virus Limited to Areas With Farm Animals
An extensive look at wastewater samples taken across the U.S. from May to July found traces of the H5N1 bird flu popping up — but only in areas populated by farm animals.
The avian flu virus has been widespread in U.S. poultry as well as herds of dairy cows, raising alarms that the virus might somehow mutate and spread between people.
The wastewater testing performed between May 12 and July 13 is reassuring, suggesting the virus is still centered on animals.
Nine of 41 states with wastewater detection of flu viruses in place showed sites with traces of the H5N1 virus present in samples, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
However, “the nine states with H5 detections in wastewater included seven states with an HPAI A[H5N1]–infected herd reported during this period and one additional state with an infected herd reported before this period,” the agency reported Sept. 19 in its journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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