Pesticides raise child risk of leukaemia

	Tweet

Exposure to pesticides in the womb or as a child can double the risk of developing acute leukaemia, French scientists said on Tuesday. They discovered that children born to women who used insecticides in the home while pregnant and after the birth were nearly twice as likely as other youngsters to develop leukaemia.

Even insecticidal shampoos to kill head lice raised the odds of the disease.

“The results… support the hypothesis that various types of insecticide exposure may be a risk factor for childhood acute leukaemia,” said Dr Florence Menegaux, of the research institute INSERM Villejuif, France, in a report in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

The researchers discovered the link after interviewing the mothers of 280 children who had been diagnosed with leukaemia and of 288 healthy children.

They found that youngsters exposed to fungicides and garden insecticides had more than double the risk of the illness than other children.

Although no specific product was singled out in the study, the scientists said their findings and results from other research suggest action to prevent exposure to insecticides should be considered.

Leukaemia is the most common cancer in children. Symptoms include anaemia, joint pain and repeated infections. Children with the illness may also have nosebleeds and bruising without any apparent cause.

Chemotherapy, which is very effective against the disease, is the standard treatment. 

RELATED STORIES:
Creating New Life Forms That May Help Eradicate Cancer Affecting Women   Children with bone cancer in their arms or legs survival rate improved   Towards more effective treatment for multiple myeloma   Injured Marines at risk for abnormal bone growth   New study shows positive role physical therapists play in lymphedema diagnois and treatment   Researchers Identify Potential Therapeutic Target in Osteosarcoma   New Hope for Deadly Childhood Bone Cancer   Study shows benefit of new maintenance therapy for multiple myeloma   Going out on a limb   Immune-Based Drug Approved in Europe for Pediatric Cancer Patients   Backyard Garden May Yield Leukemia Treatment   Yeast unravels effects of chemotherapy drugs   Researchers Explore Issues Related to Multiple Myeloma Treatment   Approved lymphoma drug shows promise in early tests against bone cancer   Leukemia risk from chlorination seen mixed   Children with cancer risk fragile bones   Radical Surgery Removes Half of Pelvis, Saves Leg   Children with bone cancer at risk for second cancer   Bone loss seen in kids after stem cell therapy   Whites at greatest risk for rare bone cancer   Several factors affect bone marrow volume reduction   U of M researchers look to dogs to better understand intricacies of bone cancer

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]