Occupational Exposure to Pesticides Linked to Risk for ALS

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 5, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Occupational exposure to pesticides is associated with an increased risk for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a review published online Aug. 4 in Occupational & Environmental Medicine.

France Labrèche, from the Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en securité du travail in Montreal, and colleagues conducted a systematic review of the evidence on the association between occupational exposure to pesticides and risk for ALS. The meta-analysis included eight case-control studies, with 1,734 cases.

The researchers found that “ever” occupational exposure to pesticides was associated with an increased risk for ALS (pooled odds ratio, 1.6) for the sexes combined. The risk was slightly higher for exposure to herbicides than to insecticides or fungicides (pooled odds ratios, 1.7 versus 1.6). Ever exposure to high versus low levels of pesticides was associated with a higher risk, based on three studies (pooled odds ratios, 2.7 versus 1.9). Significant predictors of the effect size included self-reported exposure assessment methods and older publication dates.

“The findings of this review add to the evidence that occupational exposure to pesticides may increase the risk of ALS and should encourage the implementation of interventions aimed at reducing exposure during occupational pesticide use,” the authors write.

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