A study by the French research institution INSERM suggests that infantile and pre-natal exposure to insecticides could double the risks of acute leukemia. The researchers stumbled upon the link after quizzing mothers of 280 children diagnosed to be suffering from the dreaded disease and comparing notes with mothers of 288 healthy ones.
The researchers noted that among the mothers who begot children, who developed the disease many had used insecticides at some point during pregnancy or post-birth. In fact the link was between the disease and the use of insecticides was such that the latter raised the risks of the former to twice. Dr. Florence Menegaux in a report in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine said, "The results... support the hypothesis that insecticide exposure may be a risk factor for childhood acute leukemia".
The range of insecticides that raised the risks included fungicides, garden insecticides and even lice-ridding shampoos. However the study made no indication of the specific components of these insecticides that contributed to the raised risks, but a clear outcome was the prevention of such exposures. That even the use of lice shampoos corresponded to a twice the risks of the disease in childhood seemed alarming.
With Leukemia being the most common form of cancer in children being seen to be rising, people may see this as a direct consequence of the rampant use of insecticides. The disease that is characterized by anemia, pain in the joints and vulnerability to infections can at best be treated through chemotherapy that is as traumatic for children as is the disease itself.
It is common knowledge that chemicals like malathion, pyrethroid and lindane are toxic beyond a point. However, the Leukemia Research Fund believes “the evidence is very weak” and needs to elaborated with further research. With most internationally available head lice combating formulas being tested for absorption into the body, it appears that the study's results maybe ambitious on first look Moreover the study's small sample restricted to one part of the world also raises the need for wider evidence on the link. In the meanwhile wary mothers-to-be are likely to steer clear of insecticides.
