CAMBRIDGE, England, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- Environmental pollution may be causing the worldwide surge in type 2 diabetes cases, England's Cambridge University researchers said in a new article.

High blood levels of POPs, a class of chemicals that includes many pesticides and other toxins, seem to have a relationship with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, the researchers write in a commentary piece appearing in the Jan. 25 issue of the Lancet.

The commentary's authors call for more research into whether POPs can actually cause diabetes, an Environmental New Service release said, because so far nearly all efforts have been focused on the effects of genetics and obesity.

Type 2 diabetes, a condition where the body does not produce enough insulin, is a condition affecting an estimated 171 million people worldwide.

POPs have already been linked with other health problems like cancer and birth defects, and an international agreement banning many of them has been in effect since May 2004.