The pesticide glyphosate is used worldwide, including soybean and cotton plantations in Argentina. It`s causing more cases of cancer and miscarriage there, says pediatrician Avila Vazquez.
"We estimate that the 2008 to 2010 economic crisis was associated with about 260,000 excess cancer-related deaths in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) alone," said the study, which was conducted by Mahiben Maruthappu of Imperial College London`s faculty of medicine and colleagues.
The study suggests that universal health care could have prevented many of what they deem "excess" deaths.
"Unemployment increases are associated with rises in cancer mortality; universal health care seems to protect against this effect," the study added.
Maruthappu told AFP news agency that the actual number of deaths may have been higher since the study specifically looked at OECD countries.
"This suggests that there could have been well over 500,000 excess cancer deaths worldwide during this time," said Maruthappu.
"Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, so understanding how economic changes affect cancer survival is crucial," he added.
According to the World Health Organization, 8.2 million across the globe died from cancer in 2012.
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