foodconsumer.org: Exposure to pesticide raises diabetes risk

Exposure to pesticide raises diabetes risk
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admin on 06/09/2008 21:35:00
 
The increase in the risk could range from 20 to 200 percent, said the
researchers with the NIH's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
(NIEHS) and the National Cancer Institute.
Known risk factors for diabetes include obesity, lack of physical exercise, and
having a family history of diabetes. The current study points to another
potential risk: exposure to pesticide.
The finding may reach beyond the licensed pesticide applicators because the
general population is also exposed to some pesticides in the study, although
others are no longer available on the market. In addition, chlorinated
pesticides persist and the risk to human health could last for a long time.
The study found the pesticide applicators whose exposure was in the highest
category had a 17 percent increased risk of diabetes compared to those in the
lowest exposure category.
New cases of diabetes were found in 3.4 percent of those in the lowest exposure
group and in 4.6 percent of those in the highest exposure group.
By Sue Mueller, and edited by Heather Kelley.
Jun 9, 2008 - 7:51:37 AM