15/10/2026
Australia has the highest rates of:
cancer in the world.
leukaemia in the world.
breast cancer in the world.
cancer for people aged 0-19 in the world.
cancer for people aged 0-49 in the world.
bowel cancer for people aged 0-49 in the world.
The link between pesticide exposure and cancer is well established. In fact, research has indicated exposure to certain pesticides puts people at an even higher risk of cancer than smoking.
Further, according to this research:
‘While much of the recent evidence suggests causal relationships between pesticide exposure and cancer, the strongest evidence exists for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and colorectal cancer (CRC), diseases in which the observed associations were consistent across several studies, including high-quality prospective studies and those using biomarkers for exposure assessment, with some observing dose-response relationships.’
The rise in incidence of cancers affecting young people in Australia is under the spotlight, with the ABC’s July 2025 Four Corners episode, Generation Cancer, covering this topic and highlighting chemicals in our environment as a contributing factor. This includes the chemicals that we eat, drink and breathe.
Children are particularly at risk.