A large, new study evaluated the risk of childhood cancers from pesticide exposure and came up with some interesting and important findings. The findings were published online in the journal Pediatrics by researchers in the Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
The study authors note that concerns are growing regarding chronic low-level pesticide exposure during childhood and its influence on childhood cancers. Therefore, they conducted a meta-analysis to assess the relationship between residential childhood pesticide exposures and childhood cancers. A meta-analysis is a compilation of data from a number of studies to clarify a point. The investigators reviewed all pertinent studies published in PubMed before February 2014 and reviewed the reference sections of articles derived from the searches. They located 277 studies that met their inclusion criteria.
Ultimately, 16 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The data was subjected to statistical analysis. The researchers found that that childhood exposure to indoor but not outdoor residential pesticides was associated with a significant increase in risk of childhood leukemia (47% increased risk) and childhood lymphomas (43% increased risk). A significant increase in risk of leukemia was also linked with herbicide exposure (26% increased risk). In addition, the researchers found a positive but not statistically significant association between childhood home pesticide or herbicide exposure and childhood brain tumors.
The authors noted that the results from their meta-analysis showed that children exposed to indoor insecticides would have a higher risk of childhood blood cancers. They recommended that additional research should be conducted to confirm the association between residential indoor pesticide exposures and childhood cancers. They stressed that preventive measures should be taken to reduce children’s exposure to pesticides in the home.
