Household insecticides could double child leukaemia risk

Sam Lister, "Household insecticides could double child leukaemia risk",
Sunday Times, January 17, 2006,
Link: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...988878,00.html

CHILDREN frequently exposed to household insecticides used on plants,
lawns and in head lice shampoos appear to run double the risk of
developing childhood leukaemia, research suggests.

A study by French doctors, published today in the journal Occupational
and Environmental Medicine, supports concerns raised in recent years
about the use of toxic insecticides around the home and garden -
including plant sprays, medication shampoos and mosquito repellents -
and a possible correlation with increased rates of acute leukaemia in
children.

The latest study by Inserm, France's national institute for medical
research, was based on 280 children who had acute leukaemia, newly
diagnosed and 288 children matched for sex and age but disease free.

Detailed interviews were carried out with each mother. These included
questions about the employment history of both parents, the use of
insecticides in the home and garden and the use of insecticidal
shampoos against head lice.

It showed that the risk of developing acute leukaemia was almost twice
as likely in children whose mothers said that they had used
insecticides in the home while pregnant and long after the birth.

Exposure to garden insecticides and fungicides as a child was
associated with a more than doubling of disease occurrence. The use of
insecticidal shampoos for head lice was associated with almost twice
the risk.

Describing the links as "significant", the authors said that
preventive action should be considered to ensure that the health risks
to children were as small as possible. A group of pesticides known as
carbamates, which are present in plant treatments, lice shampoos and
insect sprays, are most commonly linked to cases of leukaemia.

There are three main carbamates used in the UK - carbaryl, carbofuran
and carbosulfan.

Head lice products containing carbaryl are now restricted to
prescription after a report by a government committee that gave warning
of potential carcinogenic properties.

Florence Menegaux, the lead researcher based at the Paris headquarters,
and her fellow authors said that no one agent could be singled out and
a causal relation between insecticides and the development of acute
childhood leukaemia "remains questionable". But they said that the
patterns revealed suggested that the results should be acted on and
"preventative action" considered.

Leukaemia is the term used to describe a number of cancers of the blood
cells. In children about 85 per cent of these are acute lymphoblastic
leukaemia, and acute myeloid leukaemia accounts for most of the rest.

Leukaemia makes up about a third of all cancers in children and
currently kills more than any other disease in the UK. Of the 500
children under the age of 15 who have the disease diagnosed each year,
about 100 die. Research has shown that boys are 10 per cent more likely
than girls to suffer the disease.

In the late 1960s, the mortality rate for leukaemia among children was
about 26 deaths per million of the population in England and Wales.
This dropped to about 10 by the late 1990s. But the incidence rate
increased - from about 40 to 45 cases per million - over the same
period.

The number of new cases being diagnosed has been rising for at least 40
years, particularly in the under-5s.

Scientists believe that the cancer starts in the womb, with a second
event triggering the disease's development in childhood. Studies are
continuing to determine whether this trigger is genetic, environmental,
dietary or related to other factors.

The possible link to pesticides remains hotly debated, with many
scientists disputing the suggestion that it is a significant factor.
Some have drawn attention to a potential "cocktail effect", when
apparently safe chemicals cause problems if combined with others.

Although products sold for use in homes and gardens are tested,
mixtures of pesticides are not generally tested because of the number
of permutations involved.

Dear All,
I`m writing to You, in the name of our club, hoping that You will join
us in humanitarian action "RIDE BICYCLE AGAINST DRUGS, ALCOHOL AND
VIOLENCE". After January 1., 2006. this action will become program
named "WHEEL OF ENJOYMENT". This program is supported by Ministry
of health Republic of Serbia, Ministry of labour, employment and
social policy Republic of Serbia and Ministry of education and sport
Republic of Serbia.
Program "WHEEL OF ENJOYMENT" also includes actions "Cancer is
hard, Friendship is easier" and "Diabetes has its enemy"
dedicated to people with cancer and diabetes.
Bicycling club " SIRMIUM BIKE INTERNATIONAL" from Sremska Mitrovica
is promoter and initiator of this program. Beside bicycling
promotion, this program`s goal is to build Rehabilitation center for
addiction diseases, too.
After January 1., 2006. our multiethnic bike team will ride again
across Serbia and districts of Kosovo.
In Jun 2006. we will ride trough Europe with same goal to pay
attention on existing problems of addiction diseases, cancer and
diabetes.
We invited great number of economic subjects in country and abroad, to
join us in this program giving their support.
We asking You, too, to join us and to give us your support or to
direct us to competent humanitarian, financial and medical
institutions.

Sincerely,


President of bicycling club

"SIRMIUM BIKE INTERNATIONAL"

and program`s coordinator
Mr. Kamenko Vladisavljevic