3 Charts To Better Understand the Potential Link Between Pesticides and Cancer

Most counties with the highest pesticide use also have cancer rates above the national average. 

A majority of the top pesticide-using counties in the U.S. have cancer rates above the national average. 

For years, pesticide users have claimed agrichemicals have caused cancer, along with other health complications. Courts have agreed, ruling against pesticide manufacturers multiple times. 

Several scientific studies have also found links between cancer and pesticides, which can drift through the air or run off into nearby rivers and streams.  

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Click here to access the following interactive map:

While investigating this potential link, Investigate Midwest, as part of a reporting partnership with the Pulitzer Center’s StoryReach U.S. Fellowship, analyzed data on the top 500 U.S. counties by per-square-mile pesticide use. More than 60% of those counties also had cancer rates higher than the national average. 

Most of these counties are in the heartland, especially in Iowa, Illinois and in the agricultural regions along the Mississippi River. 

Click here to access the following interactive graphic:

Click here to access the following interactive graphic: