A rise in soya farming in parts of Brazil may be linked to an increase in leukaemia deaths among children, possibly due to pesticide exposure. However, the exact cause has not been determined and the number of deaths is relatively low.
Over the past two decades, there has been a significant expansion of soya farming in parts of the Amazon and the Cerrado region. Brazil is the largest consumer of pesticides globally.
Marin Skidmore, a researcher at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, became interested in the potential connection between childhood cancers and pesticide exposure while conducting agricultural research in the Amazon. Previous studies have already linked pesticide exposure to childhood leukaemia.
Skidmore and her colleagues collected data on deaths from lymphoid leukaemia in children under 10 years old in rural areas of the Cerrado and Amazon regions between 2004 and 2019. They compared this information with data on land use, proximity to water sources, and pediatric oncology centers.
Their analysis showed that for every 10% increase in land used for soya farming, there was an additional 0.4 lymphoid leukaemia-related deaths per 10,000 people under 5 years old, and an additional 0.21 such deaths per 10,000 people under 10 years old. The researchers also found higher death rates in areas located more than 100 kilometers away from pediatric oncology centers.
Furthermore, the study indicated that living downstream from a soya farm was associated with higher lymphoid leukaemia-related death rates, suggesting that the consumption of pesticide-laced water could be a factor. Previous research has linked pesticide exposure during pregnancy to cancer in infants.
It is important to note that the results do not prove a causal relationship between pesticides from soya farming and leukaemia deaths. However, experts such as Pablo Menéndez at the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute in Barcelona and Chensheng (Alex) Lu at Southwest University in China find the correlation plausible.
If further research confirms these findings, it would highlight the need for government-regulated pesticide policies, including training protocols for pesticide application and accessible healthcare for early diagnoses and treatment, especially in rural areas.
While agricultural intensification, including pesticide use, is seen as necessary for global food security, Skidmore emphasizes the importance of prioritizing public health and ensuring safety in regions that may be under-resourced or unfamiliar with these chemicals.
