Persistent Organic Pollutant Exposure Allegedly Linked to Type 2 Diabetes

A Finnish study has allegedly confirmed an association between adult-only
exposure to certain pesticides and type 2 diabetes. Riikka Airaksinen, et al.,
“Association Between Type 2 Diabetes and Exposure to Persistent Organic Pollutants,” Diabetes Care, August 4, 2011. Researchers reportedly analyzed data from 1,988 adults born in Helsinki during 1934-1940, finding that just over 15 percent had type 2 diabetes. The results evidently indicated that “for participants with the highest exposure to oxychlordane, trans-nonachlor, 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis-(p chlorophenyl)-ethylene (p,p’-DDE), and polychlorinated biphenyl 153, the risk of type 2 diabetes was 1.64-2.24 times higher than that among individuals with the lowest exposure.” In addition, “the associations between type 2 diabetes and oxychlordane and trans-nonachlor remained significant and were strongest among the overweight participants.”

According to the authors, these findings suggest that organochlorine
pesticides and body fat “may have a synergistic effect on the risk of type 2
diabetes.” Although lead author Riikka Airaksinen also noted that the study
does not prove that organochlorine pesticides caused the increased diabetes
risk, University of Minnesota epidemiology professor David Jacobs reportedly characterized the assessment as “highly concordant” with past pesticide-diabetes studies. While most persistent organic pollutants have been banned for years, “they are generally all around us in fatty tissues of living organisms,” Jacobs said, adding that “a chemical that is bad for the health of one life form—say insects or weeds—is not likely to be good for humans. We need much better and more thorough safety testing for substances that we use in industry and for pest control.” See Reuters, August 17, 2011.