Indoor pesticide increases childhood leukemia, lymphoma risk: study

Children who are exposed to pesticides at home have an increased risk of developing leukemia or lymphoma, according to a new study.

The study published in the journal Pediatrics reveals that in an analysis of 16 studies from the 1990s, children with exposure to household pesticide have an increased risk of developing leukemia and lymphoma.

For the analysis, the researchers from Harvard Chan School of Public Health looked at three types of pesticides: indoor insecticides, herbicides and outdoor insecticides. The researchers found that children who have been exposed to household insecticides have a 47-percent higher chance of developing childhood leukemia and have 43 percent increased risk of developing lymphoma compared to those who have never been exposed. For children who were exposed to herbicides, they had a 26 percent increased risk of developing leukemia.

"Childhood cancers are increasing year by year in this country, (and) there is disagreement about what is contributing to that, but pesticides have always been on the radar," said senior researcher Chensheng Lu, senior researchers from Boston's Harvard School of Public Health, in the report by CNN.

Lu added that the analysis has confirmed that the chemical pesticides may be one of the factors in the development of childhood blood cancers. Furthermore, pesticides can also increase the risk of prostate and bladder cancers.

According to Huffington Post, children are more affected by pesticides because their immune systems are yet to be fully developed and thus have lesser protection than those of a grown adult's.

According to the report by HealthDay, the published study did not find evidence that childhood blood cancers are directly caused by indoor pesticides.

"We don't know 'how much' exposure it takes, or if there's a critical window in development," said Lu. "Is the window during pregnancy? Or even before pregnancy?" said Lu. "That will take a much deeper investigation."

Lu suggests limiting the exposure of infants and children to pesticides.

In the same report, pediatric oncologist Dr. Ziad Khatib of Miami's Nicklaus Children's Hospital, who is not involved in the study thinks that childhood cancers "just occur out of the blue." He added that it is possible that certain chemicals may have different effects in other children and that it could trigger cancer.

"We think most cancers in children are due to chance," said Dr. Khatib. "We should always be cautious about exposing young children to any toxic chemicals. It just makes sense."