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Pesticides and Childhood Cancer
Shelia Hoar Zahm and Mary H. Ward
Occupational Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer
Etiology, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland
Abstract
Children are exposed to potentially carcinogenic pesticides from use in homes, schools, other buildings, lawns and gardens, through food and contaminated drinking water, from agricultural application drift, overspray, or off-gassing, and from carry-home exposures of parents occupationally exposed to pesticides. Parental exposure during the child's gestation or even preconception may also be important. Malignancies linked to pesticides in case reports or case-control studies include leukemia, neuroblastoma, Wilms' tumor, soft-tissue sarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and cancers of the brain, colorectum, and testes. Although these studies have been limited by nonspecific pesticide exposure information, small numbers of exposed subjects, and the potential for case-response bias, it is noteworthy that many of the reported increased risks are of greater magnitude than those observed in studies of pesticide-exposed adults, suggesting that children may be particularly sensitive to the carcinogenic effects of pesticides. Future research should include improved exposure assessment, evaluation of risk by age at exposure, and investigation of possible genetic-environment interactions. There is potential to prevent at least some childhood cancer by reducing or eliminating pesticide exposure. -- Environ Health Perspect 106(Suppl 3):893-908 (1998).
http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/1998/Suppl-3/893-908zahm/abstract.html
Key words: children, cancer, pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, leukemia, brain tumors, neuroblastoma, Wilms' tumor sarcoma, lymphoma, colorectum, testes
This paper is based on a presentation at the U.S. EPA Conference on Preventable Causes of Cancer in Children held 15-16 September 1997 in Arlington, Virginia. Manuscript received at EHP 4 December 1997; accepted 19 February 1998.
Address correspondence to Dr. S.H. Zahm, National Cancer Institute, 6130 Executive Boulevard, Room 418, Rockville, MD 20892. Telephone: (301) 496-8157. Fax: (301) 402-1819. E-mail: zahms@epndce.nci.nih.gov
Abbreviations used: ALL, acute lymphocytic leukemia; AML, acute myelogenous leukemia; ANLL, acute nonlymphocytic leukemia; CI, confidence interval; CML, chronic myelogenous leukemia; 2,4-D, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid; OR, odds ratio; RR, rate ratio; U.S. EPA, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency