title: Health effects of chronic pesticide exposure: cancer and neurotoxicity.
abstract: Pesticides are widely used in agricultural and other settings, resulting in continuing human exposure. Epidemiologic studies indicate that, despite premarket animal testing, current exposures are associated with risks to human health. In this review, we describe the routes of pesticide exposures occurring today, and summarize and evaluate the epidemiologic studies of pesticide-related carcinogenicity and neurotoxicity in adults. Better understanding of the patterns of exposure, the underlying variability within the human population, and the links between the animal toxicology data and human health effects will improve the evaluation of the risks to human health posed by pesticides. Improving epidemiology studies and integrating this information with toxicology data will allow the human health risks of pesticide exposure to be more accurately judged by public health policy makers.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, 6120 Executive Blvd., Rockville, Maryland 20892, USA. alavanjm@mail.nih.gov
authors.forename: Michael C R
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Alavanja
authors.forename: Jane A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hoppin
authors.forename: Freya
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kamel
mesh_terms: D004781:Environmental Exposure; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D020258:Neurotoxicity Syndromes / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D010575:Pesticides / Q000633:toxicity*; D012306:Risk
chemical_list: D010575:Pesticides