Exposure to thousands of pesticide products and various industrial pollutants has been identified as a significant factor in the rising cases of melanoma, beyond the well-known effects of ultraviolet radiation, according to a recent review.
The article, published in The Open Dermatology Journal, discussed the association between increasing melanoma cases and exposure to pesticides and industrial pollutants. It highlighted evidence pointing to environmental chemicals as additional contributors alongside ultraviolet (UV) radiation, the primary known cause of melanoma. Study investigators reviewed studies indicating that pesticides and industrial pollutants have carcinogenic effects that contribute to melanoma. They referenced a 2000 study identifying over 1,000 pesticides as potential contributors to melanoma. In 2022, this number increased to over 17,000 pesticide products. The authors also noted a study involving banana plantation workers in Costa Rica, where high exposure to dibromochloropropane insecticide correlated with a melanoma incidence significantly exceeding the 95% confidence interval.
Additional evidence from the Los Angeles County Cancer Surveillance Program identified organic chemists with higher melanoma rates due to exposure to organic substances used in pesticides. Studies involving farmers and licensed pesticide applicators were also referenced, showing higher melanoma rates in high and medium agriculture activity areas compared to low activity areas.
The review challenges earlier industry-funded studies that dismissed the link between pollutants and melanoma.
Full disclosures can be found in the study.