PESTICIDES AND CHILDHOOD-CANCER

Children are exposed to potentially carcinogenic pesticides from use i n homes, schools, other buildings, lawns and gardens, through food and contaminated drinking water, from agricultural application drift, ove rspray, or off-gassing, and from carry-home exposures of parents occup ationally exposed to pesticides. Parental exposure during the child's gestation or even preconception may also be important. Malignancies li nked to pesticides in case reports or case-control studies include leu kemia, neuroblastoma, Wilms' tumor, soft-tissue sarcoma, Ewing's sarco ma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and cancers of the brain, colorectum, and testes. Although these studies have been limited by nonspecific pestic ide exposure information, small numbers of exposed subjects, and the p otential for case-response bias, it is noteworthy that many of the rep orted increased risks are of greater magnitude than those observed in studies of pesticide-exposed adults, suggesting that children may be p articularly sensitive to the carcinogenic effects of pesticides. Futur e research should include improved exposure assessment, evaluation of risk by age at exposure, and investigation of possible genetic-environ ment interactions. There is potential to prevent at least some childho od cancer by reducing or eliminating pesticide exposure.