Prolonged exposure to insecticide results in prostate cancer

The insecticide chlordecone was widely used in the middle of the 20th century for agricultural purposes but was more recently recognized as an environmental pollutant, causing many countries to ban its use.

In 2009, the insecticide was listed in the 'Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants' that banned its production and use worldwide.

The agricultural insecticide poses threat to mankind
Chlordecone (or kepone) has also been classified as a carcinogenic insecticide and an endocrine disruptor by IARC and WHO standards.

Reportedly, the chlordecone powder is readily absorbed through the skin and respiratory tract. If inhaled or injected, kepone powder can cause tremors, jerky eye movements, amnesia, headache, slurred speech, unsteadiness, lack of coordination, loss of weight, rashes, enlarged liver, decreased libido, sterility, chest pain, arthralgia, and the increased risk of developing cancer.

An interesting fact about kepone is that it persists in the environment, with a half-life of about 30 years. Hence, the dangers waiting to seize the coming generations cannot be ignored.

As far as the cancer is concerned, prostate cancer is a form of cancer where tumour develops in the prostate gland. The cancerous cells outgrow from the prostate glands to other parts of the body, particularly bones and lymph nodes.

Other symptoms due to prostate cancer are pain, difficulty in urinating, problems during sexual intercourse, or erectile dysfunction, that may potentially develop during later stages of the disease.

Risk factors leading to cancer
The most common risk factors associated with the prostate cancer are: age, family history, and African-American ethnicity. Hormonal factors and presence of high levels of animal fat and red meat in the diet are also the suspected risk factors.

Previously, several occupational studies have also linked farming to the risk of prostate cancer.

The research programme was conducted by Human and Mammalian Reproduction Department, (University of Rennes), University Hospital Centre in Pointe a Pitre, Urology department (University of the French West Indies and Guiana) and the Center for Analytical Research and Technology (University of Liège, Belgique) jointly on 709 prostate cancer patients and 723 controls (patients without prostate cancer) to test the hypothesis.

The results proved the hypothesis correct and also showed that men having genetic variations, which reduce their ability to eliminate the molecule's toxicity, have higher chances of developing the disease.

The risk of developing a tumour was higher in subjects with a family history of prostate cancer first-degree relatives, which suggested that the disease can be inherited too.