We have been following the news surrounding pollutants and pesticides and the negative effects of these toxins on the human body, especially developing fetuses and children. In more news regarding such links, the Daily Mail just reported that an increased risk of cancer of the testicles has been linked to pollutant toxins in breast milk.
The study, which was conducted in Denmark, revealed that some hormone-interrupting chemicals—citing pesticides, in particular—could be linked with the high incidence of testicular cancer in Danish men, said the Daily Mail. In Denmark, men experience a four-old increased likelihood of developing testicular cancer over men in nearby Finland, noted the Daily Mail. Men in Denmark also suffer from other disorders linked to the male reproductive system, for instance, “poor semen quality and genital abnormalities,” the Daily Mail pointed out. The study’s findings were reported in the International Journal of Andrology.
Experts believe industrial pollutants that interrupt hormonal effects in developing fetuses might be the cause of the adverse events, said the Daily Mail. The researchers looked at 121 chemical levels in 68 breast milk samples from Danish and Finnish woman and found significant differences between the countries, said the Daily Mail. For instance, breast milk from the women in Denmark revealed much higher levels of a variety of chemicals, such as dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and pesticides, versus the samples taken from the Finnish women.
The reason for the disparity remains unknown and, according to study lead, Professor Niels Skakkebaek, “We were very surprised to find that some EDC (endocrine disrupting chemicals) levels, including some dioxins, PCBs and some pesticides, were significantly higher in Denmark than in Finland,” quoted the Daily Mail. Skakkebaek is from the University Department of Growth and Reproduction in Copenhagen.
The scientists explained that the chemicals revealed in the breast milk pointed to fetal pollutant exposure and that prior research also suggested a link between testicular cancer and hormone-disrupters, reported the Daily Mail. ”Our findings reinforce the view that environmental exposure to EDCs may explain some of the temporal and between-country differences in incidence of male reproductive disorders,” said Skakkebaek, quoted the Daily Mail.
In the United States, over 8,000 men are diagnosed with testicular cancer annually, while in the United Kingdom the rates are high, but significantly lower, at nearly 2,000 men annually.
In recent weeks, we have written about a potential cancer link between people living in the Florida community of The Acreage and elevated cancer level clusters that many believe originated with a nearby Pratt & Whitney jet engine plant and/or citrus groves in the area, which used potentially dangerous pesticides for decades.
Other studies—published just this year alone—have suggested and/or revealed links between pediatric cancer and household pesticides, pesticides and Parkinson’s disease, pesticide exposure and early onset Parkinson’s, and pesticide exposure and an increase in Alzheimer’s disease risks, to name just some.
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