Rising colorectal cancer in young adults may be linked to common weed killer
A new study from Spain suggests a possible link between the herbicide picloram and rising rates of early-onset colorectal cancer in young adults. Researchers identified distinct epigenetic patterns in younger patients, with higher exposure to picloram associated with tumors showing fewer mutations in the APC gene. While the study is observational and does not prove causation, it highlights a potential environmental factor contributing to the increasing incidence of colorectal cancer in younger populations.
- ▪The study found an association between early-onset colorectal cancer and exposure to the herbicide picloram.
- ▪Picloram has been used since the 1960s and can persist in soil for months to over three years.
- ▪Younger colorectal cancer patients showed fewer mutations in the APC gene, suggesting a different cancer pathway may be involved.
- ▪Epigenetic changes, influenced by environmental factors like toxins, were analyzed to identify potential cancer drivers.
- ▪The research is observational and does not establish a causal relationship between picloram and colorectal cancer.
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Health Rising colorectal cancer in young adults may be linked to common weed killer By McKenzie Beard Published May 2, 2026, 10:32 a.m. ET A major health crisis may be rooted in an unlikely source. That’s according to new research out of Spain, which suggests a widely used weed killer could be fueling the alarming rise in early-onset colorectal cancer worldwide. In the US, roughly one in five diagnoses now occurs in Americans under 55 — and the disease has become a leading cause of cancer-related death in young people. 3 A popular herbicide was linked to higher rates of early-onset colorectal cancer in a new study.
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