Association of parents' occupational exposure to cancer in children. A case-control study of acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Abstract

The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the preconceptual, prenatal, and postnatal environmental factors as possible etiologic agents of childhood neoplasms. An exploratory case-control study was conducted on parents of children less than 15 yr of age with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). Data were obtained on 147 identified cases by interview from their mothers and by mail questionnaire from their fathers. Hospital control cases were matched by sex and age, while population control cases were matched by place of residence, and sex. The following results were obtained. 1) As for the occupation of the parents, more fathers of the cases were engaged in occupations related to agriculture, medicine, and science than those of the controls, and more mothers of the cases were engaged in agriculture than those of the controls. 2) No significant relation could be demonstrated between ALL and occupations related to hydrocarbon and ionizing radiation. 3) The results of multivariate analysis showed that in comparison with the hospital control cases the preconceptual exposure to chemicals and the prenatal exposure to pesticides of the fathers and the prenatal exposure to benzine and spray pesticides of the mothers were risks of high significance. In comparison with population control cases, the prenatal exposure of benzine and exposure to paints of the mothers prior to disease onset were risks of high significance. The foregoing results suggest that exposure to occupational and environmental factors of the parents may play an etiologic role in childhood leukemia.