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Various chemicals, from those in plastics to food additives, have made headlines lately for their potential roles in triggering diseases. Pesticides are unique among chemicals, though, says

Melissa Perry, an environmental epidemiologist and dean of George Mason’s College of Public Health. “They’re deliberately manufactured to kill things.”

By poisoning weeds, pesticides clear the way for farmers’ crops to thrive. But their deadly design may undermine human health, too. A recent report by a new federal advisory board, the Make

America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission chaired by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., calls for further investigation of pesticides’ effects to determine if their use should be limited.

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Some evidence does suggest that long-term exposure could lead to cancer and several other serious health problems. More research is needed to better understand these risks, but in the

meantime, experts recommend simple, practical steps to reduce intake. 

Here’s what we know about the risks of pesticides and how to lower your exposure.  

Research on pesticide risks The MAHA report assesses “root causes” of poor health in U.S. children. It describes pesticides as one of eight types of chemicals giving rise to chronic

diseases. 

The report specifically takes issue with two weed killers, glyphosate and atrazine. They’re the most commonly used pesticides by American farmers, and research has focused on them in lab

experiments on animals, with several concerning findings. 

Other studies have drawn links between glyphosate exposure—mainly by consuming trace amounts in food—and health problems, including earlier death. In 2019, a large research review identified

a “compelling link” between glyphosate intake and non-Hodgkin lymphoma in humans, though in 2024 a federal judge criticized this study’s design and approach. 

Additional research points to a range of diseases potentially related to glyphosate, but a recent review by Italian researchers on glyphosate was inconclusive and called for further

research.

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Based on the evidence, the World Health Organization (WHO) has described glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans,” whereas the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found “no

evidence that glyphosate causes cancer in humans,” citing a dataset the agency considered more thorough than WHO’s. 

The second widespread pesticide highlighted by the MAHA report is atrazine. Like glyphosate, it’s been used by farmers since the 1960s, but research on animals in the 1990s began to show it

could disrupt reproductive health and hormone regulation. Tyrone B. Hayes, a biologist at the University of California, Berkeley, found that atrazine interfered with the sexual development

of frogs. Subsequent studies showed similar effects, as well as weight gain, in mice.

Researchers have also observed that women in certain agricultural communities experience higher rates of abnormal menstrual cycles, compared to places with fewer farms. Other human studies

show increases in several kinds of birth defects. Still more research links atrazine to breast cancer, but researchers at the National Institutes of Health have concluded “no evidence of an

association” with cancer.

The EPA estimated that atrazine adversely affects 54% of all species and 50% of all critical habitats. “I don’t know how an Environmental Protection Agency can make a statement like that and

then re-register the chemical,” Hayes says. 

In 2023, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data showed that 99% of food samples tested below the EPA’s safety limit for pesticides. However, U.S. limits are considerably higher than

what’s allowed in the European Union, where atrazine has been effectively banned.

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Pesticides called organophosphates have been studied by the EPA and others for links to neurological disorders such as ADHD. “Research clearly shows that children exposed to higher levels

did have more neurobehavioral problems,” says Jason Richardson, professor of physiology and pharmacology at the University of Georgia’s Isakson Center for Neurological Disease Research.

Overall, uncertainty and debate about pesticides continues partly due to research challenges. People are typically exposed to multiple types of chemicals, so it’s “hard to attribute disease

to one pesticide or pinpoint the definitive dose or exposure time” that makes people sick, Perry says. 

“Just because a chemical is present doesn’t mean it’s doing anything bad, but in combination with other chemicals, it may be,” Richardson says. “Efforts are underway to measure these

combinations.”

“The country’s agricultural policy follows science, not fear, speculation, and fringe narratives,” says Becky Langer-Curry, director of innovation at the National Corn Growers Association.

The Corn Growers were “perplexed” by the MAHA report, she adds. “We need faith in the EPA’s regulatory system to review the science. They’re ensuring our food is safe, well below human

risk.”

In an email to TIME.com, EPA spokesperson Mike Bastasch said the EPA“typically regulates pesticides at least 100 times lower than where no adverse effects are seen in safety studies.” The

agency is “confident that the fruits and vegetables our children are eating are safer than ever,” Bastasch wrote. However, he added that the EPA is updating its evaluation of glyphosate’s

cancer-causing potential, and it’s currently working on an Updated Mitigation Proposal for atrazine.

In the meantime, researchers including Perry, Richardson, and Hayes think pesticides are dangerous enough that people should take precautions—but especially young kids, people who are

pregnant, those who live close to farms, agricultural workers, and seniors. 

How to learn more about your exposure The first step is to become aware of pesticides in your environment. They’re more common than people think, Perry says. “Exposures happen routinely for

most members of the American public.” 

Experts recommend contacting the environmental office of your county or city to learn whether you’re close to a food production facility that uses pesticides. In 2017, kids and teachers at a

Hawaii middle school reported unusual throat irritation and dizziness. They suspected the symptoms were caused by pesticides applied in nearby fields, and researchers found residues in the

school’s indoor and outdoor air samples.

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The detected levels were deemed below concerning thresholds. Bastasch says that, for communities near farms, the EPA studies potential exposure through the air and other pathways to make

sure safety levels are based on sound science.

Still, Hayes worries about the long-term effects of pesticide contact and absorption. “For someone living in a farming community that’s constantly exposed to estrogen mimics like atrazine,

you’re more likely to develop adverse effects,” he says.

People take in atrazine mainly through their drinking water, after farm runoff carries the pesticide into local water systems. But some utilities are more effective than others at removing

pesticide residues. The Environmental Working Group rates local water utilities. For people on well water, the federal government provides guidelines for testing it.

Use a water filter Pesticide use is widespread enough—and disperses at such distances—that everyone should probably use a high-quality water filter, experts say. Atrazine can travel as far

as 600 miles, Hayes says. As far back as 1999, USGS noticed that pesticides, including atrazine, were detected in places where farmers hadn’t applied them.

Even for residents of areas where a water treatment plant removes the chemicals, buying a filter certified to the NSF/ANSI Standards 42 and 53 provides some additional assurance of water

safety. Look for filters in refrigerators and