Pollution Exposure Linked
To Childhood Cancer
Exposure soon after birth, or even before,
to combustion gases and particularly engine exhaust, is strongly
linked to the development of childhood cancers like leukemia,
according to a report from the UK.
"These results confirm the relative proximities of child cancer
births to substance-specific hotspots from oil-based emissions,
and to industrial sites known to discharge such materials," Dr.
E. G. Knox, from the University of Birmingham, reports in the
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
In the study, Dr. Knox linked emission hotspots for specific
chemicals, from maps available on the Internet maps, to the birth
addresses of children who later died from leukemia or other cancers
before their 16th birthday.
An excess risk of childhood cancer was noted in hotspots for
a variety of chemicals, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides
and 1,3-butadiene.
Although many of the associations seemed to be artifactual, an
independent link with 1,3-butadiene and carbon monoxide remained.
Knox notes that these chemicals, which are largely produced by
engine exhausts, were powerful predictors of childhood cancer.
For example, joint exposure to a nearby bus station and 1,3-butadiene
raised the risk of cancer 12.6-fold.
In terms of policy implications, the findings suggest that current
atmospheric standards for 1,3-butadiene in workplaces may not
be low enough to protect from childhood cancer, Knox points out.
SOURCE: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, September
2005.
Reference
Source 89
August
11, 2005
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