The World health organization in a bid to safe guard the health of farmers, has warned against the use of Lindane, DDT and  2,4-D insecticides as it causes cancer and is carcinogenic in humans.

According to a specialist panel from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) it was discovered that these chemical, already banned in the EU and the US, is linked to a cancer called non-Hodgkin lymphoma and is carcinogenic to human health.

The evidence on Lindane and cancer was largely based on studies among agricultural workers that showed a consistent, approximately 50% increase in risk, with higher risks in heavily exposed agricultural workers, disclosed the Head of the IARC, Dr Kurt Straif.

The IARC also noted that though most uses of DDT have been banned since the 1970s, exposure to it still occurs – mainly through diet. This is because DDT and its breakdown products are highly persistent and can be found in the environment and animals.

Hitherto, 2,4-D has been widely used to control weeds in agriculture, forestry, and urban and residential settings. Occupational exposures to 2,4-D can occur during manufacturing and application, and the general population can be exposed through food, water, dust, or residential application, and during spraying, says the IARC.

Culled from AgronNigeria