International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences | April 2023 | Vol 11 | Issue 4 Page 1392 International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences Sharma K et al. Int J Res Med Sci. 2023 Apr;11(4):1392-1399 www.msjonline.org pISSN 2320-6071 | eISSN 2320-6012 Review Article Organochlorine pesticides application, xenobiotic metabolizing gene polymorphism and incidences of cancers in India: a review Khushi Sharma, Curi Singh, Himanshu Yadav*, Ravi Kumar, Suneet Kumar INTRODUCTION Cancer has a complicated and multifactorial aetiology that includes both hereditary and sustainable or environmental components. 1 According to various research, hormone- mediated actions of both endogenous and exogenous hormonal drugs enhance the risk of prostate cancer. 2,3 According to Sonnenschein and Soto (1998), endocrine disruptors are exogenous chemicals that imitate hormones and interfere with physiological working of endogenous hormones. They may also operate as tumour promoters. 4,5 p,p′-dichlorodiphenyl- dichloroethylene (p,p′-DDE), hexachlorohexane (HCH), dieldrin and p,p′- dichlorodiphenyl- trichloroethane (p,p0-DDT) are examples of OCPs and their derivatives that have modest androgenic and estrogenic effects. 2 India has recently been identified as one of the top producers and consumers of OCPs among nations that still use them. Due to their low cost and adaptability, organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), particularly DDT and HCH, have been widely utilised in India for both agricultural and health purposes over the past several decades. However, there is a propensity to use OCPs in excess. In India, the output of pesticides- particularly insecticides like DDT and HCH- rose from 5000 to 85,000 metric tonnes between 1958 and 2004. 6 Organochlorine pollutants are currently one of the major environmental concerns, along with exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Organochlorine pesticides are flammable and can be applied to crops, used in homes, disposed of in landfills, either legally or illegally, or released into the air by factories or stockpiles. These substances can stick to soil, airborne particles, and aquatic systems. OCPs adsorb to sediments and bioaccumulate in fish and other aquatic species. 7 These substances are pervasive anthropogenic environmental pollutants that have been connected to a number of health hazards and environmental harm. OCP applications, such as DDT and HCH, have raised concerns in tropical Asian nations because they account for a Department of Forensic Science, Teerthanker Mahaveer University, Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, India Received: 21 February 2023 Revised: 16 March 2023 Accepted: 22 March 2023 *Correspondence: Himanshu Yadav, E-mail: himanshuy.paramedical@tmu.ac.in Copyright: © the author(s), publisher and licensee Medip Academy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ABSTRACT Excessive application of pesticides on crops has been noticed to gain maximum yield. It results in heavy damage to human health as well as environment. Pesticides application beyond permissible limit has detrimental effects on ecosystem. Organochlorine compounds are widely used as pest controller. These are considered as substantial environmental pollutant and carcinogens due to their extensive environmental release. There are sufficient numbers of studies that supports positive co-relation of organochlorine pesticides with cancer. To evaluate these detrimental effects on human health we have reviewed various studies and concluded the positive co-relation of organochloro compounds with cancers. In this study, the altered metabolism effects of organochlorine pesticides on cytochrome P450 enzyme have been observed. Keywords: Organochlorine pesticides, Cytochrome P450, Cancer DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20230899