A new study has found links between an increase in soy production in Brazil’s Amazon and Cerrado biomes and an increase in paediatric deaths from cancer.
The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on October 30, 2023, found that a 10 percentage point increase in soy plantation area was associated with an additional 0.40 deaths from acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in children under the age of five per 10,000 population, and an additional 0.21 deaths for children under 10 per 10,000 population.
The researchers believe that the pesticide exposure likely occurred through water supply penetration. Soy production in the Amazon and Cerrado biomes has increased up to 20 times in the last two decades, and the associated pesticide use has also risen dramatically.
The study found that timely access to high-quality healthcare systems could lessen the links between soy production and child cancer deaths. However, the researchers warn that the study is only the tip of the iceberg, and that the nonfatal health implications of environmental pesticide exposure are not yet known.
The researchers call for policies to tighten rules on pesticides, especially in places where food production is growing rapidly. They also call for more public health attention to be paid to pesticide exposure in the general community.