From the lush apple orchards of South Kashmir’s Anantnag to California’s cornfields, pesticides are hailed as crop saviours. Yet mounting global and Indian research suggests they may also be sowing the seeds of cancer. Chemicals like glyphosate, chlorpyrifos, and mancozeb, commonly used in agriculture, have been strongly linked to cancers such as leukaemia, brain tumours, breast cancer, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

In Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), the cancer connection appears especially grim. Apple orchards in the region heavily rely on fungicides like mancozeb and organophosphates like chlorpyrifos, often applied without protective gear. Yet, despite widespread exposure, research into the health impacts remains scarce.

A landmark 2010 study by Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) linked prolonged exposure (10+ years) to these pesticides with a tenfold higher risk of brain tumours, especially high-grade gliomas, among orchard workers. Familial clusters of cases further hint at long-term genetic consequences. However, this study remains the only significant effort in the region — an alarming gap given the high exposure.

Globally, research continues to sound the alarm. A 2023 study from South India found pesticide-exposed women showed significant DNA damage and elevated breast cancer risk. A 2022 food safety study showed that 40% of Indian produce contained pesticide residues above safe limits, including spinach and grapes, staples in Kashmiri markets.

Meanwhile, the U.S.-based 2024 study likened pesticide exposure to smoking, and a 2023 global review of 63 studies reaffirmed strong links between occupational exposure and prostate cancer, leukaemia, and lymphoma. Chemicals like chlorpyrifos, DDT, and 2,4-D were noted for their DNA-damaging and cancer-triggering effects, especially in farming communities and children.

Shockingly, many of these dangerous pesticides — including mancozeb and chlorpyrifos — have been banned in Europe and the U.S., but continue to be sprayed widely in India, including Kashmir. Mancozeb was banned in the EU in 2021, and chlorpyrifos in the U.S., yet both remain common in Kashmiri orchards.

Experts urge urgent local studies, public education, and strict regulation of pesticide sales and usage. Monitoring pesticide residues in food, water, and air, and phasing out globally banned chemicals, could drastically reduce the cancer burden.

Unless action is taken, the very chemicals meant to protect crops may end up devastating human lives.