downtoearth-subscribe

Cancerous farming

Brazilian farmers frequently using pesticides in their farm operations, unknowingly make their children susceptible to kidney cancer. Recently, researchers established that 18 per cent of Wilms' turnours - which affect kidneys - among Brazilian children, are due to exposure of their parents to pesticides (American Journal ofEpidemiolop@ Vol 141).

Colin Sharpe and his colleagues assessed active ingredients in pesticides which cause childhood kidney cancers by conducting a study on a sample including 109 parents any 218 children.

Related Content