Doctors warn of three new factors driving young people's colon cancers as maps show who's at risk

Chemicals in the food we eat, air we breathe and water we drink may be causing the global colon cancer epidemic in young people, new research suggests.

In the US, colorectal cancers are exploding in young Americans, with diagnoses among people in their 20s and 30s expected to rise 90 percent by 2030.

Obesity and bad diets have been blamed, but that doesn't explain why seemingly fit and healthy patients are increasingly being struck down.

Now, a review of more than 160 studies suggests that pesticides in food, toxins in drinking water and air pollution are fueling the trend.

The researchers said this 'complex interplay' of environmental factors alters bacteria in the gut, leading to chronic inflammation which kills off healthy cells and causes cancerous cells to grow. 

The team also suggested that this epidemic of early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) has been decades in the making, with increased exposure to pollutants traced back to 1950.

Writing in the study, they said: 'Consequently, there is a pressing need for enhanced environmental policies aimed at minimizing exposure to pollutants, safeguarding public health, and mitigating the burden of EOCRC.' 

With these findings, DailyMail.com has compiled a series of maps tracing the impact of colorectal cancer, pollution, and water contamination in the US.

The above graph shows the increase in US colorectal cancers in men and women from 2000 through 2021

The researchers, writing in the journal Heliyon, said that gastrointestinal health depends on the gut microbiome, network of bacteria that regulates the digestive and immune systems. 

However, a lifetime of exposure to factors like foods, antibiotics, and chemicals can alter this ecosystem to a 'critical, unstable state,' with dangerous bacteria outnumbering healthy bacteria.

To investigate the rising incidences of colorectal cancer in younger generations, the team looked at environmental exposures in people born after 1950. 

The team, from Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, pointed to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), a group of microscopic particles so small that the nose and lungs can't filter them out. 

This allows them to easily travel to the bloodstream, triggering inflammation. 

PM2.5 is emitted directly into the air from fossils fuels burned from factories and gasoline-powered stoves and cars, as well as burning wood in fireplaces. 

Increased reliance on factories and gas-producing vehicles has caused PM2.5 to become more prevalent in the air.

The researchers said PM2.5 triggers inflammation in the colon, which has been shown to cause the growth of cancer cells and inhibit the immune system's ability to fight them off. 

They pointed to a 2020 study of nearly 60,000 adults in Thailand, which found that PM2.5 from dust and soot was linked to up to a 15 percent increased risk of early-onset colorectal cancer. 

The latest figures from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities show that PM2.5 is most prevalent in southeastern and Appalachian states like Ohio, West Virginia, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Oklahoma, 

These are also the states with some of the highest rates of early-onset colorectal cancer, according to figures from the National Cancer Institute. 

West Virginia, Kentucky, and Louisiana had the highest rates of the disease.  

Colon cancer, which has surged in young Americans, also had 73 percent more cases related to pesticides than smoking

The team also cited a surge in the use of synthetic pesticides, which have increased 50-fold since 1950. 

In 1952, for example, just one in 10 corn fields used pesticides to help kill pests. But by 1982, 95 percent of corn fields used them.

Some research indicates up to 80 percent of Americans have detectable levels of pesticides in their blood. 

The researchers in the new study said: 'The use of pesticides presents environmental challenges as a significant portion drifts away from their intended target, accumulating in unintended species, air, water, and soil.

'This raises concerns regarding the increased incidence of environmentally induced CRC, which warrants further investigation.'

Research published earlier this year in the journal Frontiers in Cancer Control and Society of more than 3,100 US counties claimed that 73 percent more colon cancers were linked to pesticide use rather than smoking.

While those researchers cited inflammation, the exact mechanism for this was unclear.

The team in Oman suggested pesticides could increase colon cancer risk because they are endocrine disrupting chemicals, meaning they imitate the body's hormones and interfere with the production of - and response to - natural hormones like estrogen and testosterone. 

The team said these chemicals could cause genetic mutations linked to colorectal cancer.  

The above map from Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) shows populations served by drinking water with the highest levels of lead contamination. Florida had the highest concentration of lead piping, a separate study showed

The researchers also pointed to water that has been contaminated with heavy metals like lead and arsenic.  

Despite experts warning that there is no 'safe' level of lead exposure, the EPA estimates 9million lead pipes are still in use across the country.  

When plumbing starts to corrode, the lead leaches into the water supply through faucets and tap water. Drinking water, showering, or even just washing the dishes could then lead to exposure. 

Once consumed, lead can travel throughout the entire body via the blood and take up camp in soft tissues like the kidney, liver or lungs, damaging those organs.

This has led the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) to classify the metal as a 'probable' carcinogen, meaning high exposure is likely to cause cancer. 

Research in the journal Science of the Total Environment suggests that toxic metals like lead accumulate in the bloodstream, traveling to areas like the colon and killing healthy cells. 

Findings from the EPA show that Alaska, New Mexico, and Louisiana had the most water quality violations from 2019 to 2023. 

All three of those states have reported high levels of early-onset colorectal cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. 

Carly Barrett, from Kentucky, was diagnosed with colon cancer at age 24 after detecting blood in her stool and suffering from abdominal pain

Joe Faratzis was diagnosed with stage four colorectal cancer at age 28. Now 34, he said he fears he doesn't have much time left to live

There were several limitations to the new research.

The researchers cited several studies they evaluated being observational, meaning they do not establish a direct cause between these environmental factors and colon cancer. 

Additionally, they said more research is needed to determine exactly which gut microbes lead to increased colon cancer risk.  

The researchers wrote: 'These findings highlight the need for more research into the specific environmental factors and their epigenetic impacts, to inform prevention and treatment strategies for EOCRC.'