Newsreader
19th Aug 2004, 10:36
Living near a petrol station may quadruple the risk for children of developing leukaemia, new research says.
http://www.landrovernet.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=9649&stc=1
A French study found a link between cases of acute leukaemia among youngsters and how close they lived to a petrol station or a garage carrying out car repairs. Past research has revealed an association between occupational exposure to benzene, a cancer-causing hydrocarbon from petrol, and leukaemia in adults.
The latest study is by the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research, based on 280 cases of children with leukaemia and a comparison group of 285 children. The youngsters were drawn from four hospitals in Nancy, Lille, Lyon and Paris with almost 60% of the children with leukaemia aged between two and six years old.
The team found no clear link between the mother's occupation during pregnancy or levels of traffic around where they lived and the risk of the child developing leukaemia. They also saw no link between leukaemia and living near businesses such as those dealing with aluminium, plastic, wood, metalwork, printing works and ceramics. But a child whose home was near a petrol station or garage was four times more likely to develop leukaemia than a child whose home was not close to such a business. The research said the longer a child lived near a petrol station, the higher the risk of leukaemia.
"The strength of the association and the duration of the trend are arguments for a causal association," the report's authors said.
http://www.landrovernet.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=9649&stc=1
A French study found a link between cases of acute leukaemia among youngsters and how close they lived to a petrol station or a garage carrying out car repairs. Past research has revealed an association between occupational exposure to benzene, a cancer-causing hydrocarbon from petrol, and leukaemia in adults.
The latest study is by the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research, based on 280 cases of children with leukaemia and a comparison group of 285 children. The youngsters were drawn from four hospitals in Nancy, Lille, Lyon and Paris with almost 60% of the children with leukaemia aged between two and six years old.
The team found no clear link between the mother's occupation during pregnancy or levels of traffic around where they lived and the risk of the child developing leukaemia. They also saw no link between leukaemia and living near businesses such as those dealing with aluminium, plastic, wood, metalwork, printing works and ceramics. But a child whose home was near a petrol station or garage was four times more likely to develop leukaemia than a child whose home was not close to such a business. The research said the longer a child lived near a petrol station, the higher the risk of leukaemia.
"The strength of the association and the duration of the trend are arguments for a causal association," the report's authors said.