Graphical abstract Occupational exposure to pesticides has been identified as a major trigger of the development of cancer. Pesticides can cause intoxication in the individuals who manipulate them through either inhalation, ingestion, or dermal contact. Given this, we investigated the association between the incidence of cancer and occupational exposure to pesticides through a bibliometric analysis of the studies published between 2011 and 2020, based on 62 papers selected from the Scopus database. The results indicated an exponential increase in the number of studies published over the past decade, with most of the research being conducted in the USA, France, India, and Brazil, although a further 17 nations were also involved in the research on the association between cancer and pesticides. The principal classes of pesticides investigated in relation to their role in intoxication and cancer were insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides. The types of cancer reported most frequently were multiple myeloma, bladder cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, prostate cancer, leukemia, and breast cancer. Despite the known association between pesticides and cancer, studies are still relatively scarce in comparison with the global scale of the use of these xenobiotic substances, which is related to the increasing demand for agricultural products throughout the world. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11356-021-17031-2.

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Exposure to pesticides is an important risk factor for genotoxicity in farmworkers. Once there is a possibility that genotoxicity is related to the autoimmunity process, the present study aimed to characterize genotoxicity and possible immunological alterations related to chronic and direct exposure to a complex mixture of pesticides. It employed Interleukin–6 (IL-6), Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), IL-12 and IL-10 as biomarkers of cellular immune function. DNA damage was greater in the exposed group (p < 0.05). Both IL-6 and IL-12 were significantly increased in the exposed group (p < 0.05 and < 0.01, respectively); on the other hand, Il-10 levels were decreased (p < 0.01). Evaluation of the association between cytokine levels and epidemiological variables showed a correlation between alcohol consumption and higher levels of IL-12 (p < 0.05). In addition, negative correlation between % DNA and IFN-γ (p < 0.05) as well as % DNA and IL-6 (p < 0.05) and positive correlation was found between IL-6 levels and absolute number of T CD8+ lymphocytes (p < 0.05) as well as between IL-10 levels and absolute number of T CD4+ lymphocytes (p < 0.05). No association between all the evaluation parameters was found in the non-exposed group. The observed alterations related to chronic and direct exposure to a complex mixture of pesticides may allow the monitoring of these workers to minimize the negative impact caused on their health.