Children and The Environment

Children, Cancer & The Environment
By identifying elements in the environment that contribute to cancer, we can take steps to eliminate them and protect our children and ourselves.

Fewer than 10 percent of all malignancies are thought to involve inherited mutations. According to the NRDC, most scientists believe that environmental factors cause or contribute to many cancers in children.** The environmental hazards include exposure to mercury, lead, pesticides, tobacco products, automotive and industrial emissions and even the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe.

Some studies have implicated pesticides as a cause of leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and brain tumors.

Children who are the most vulnerable to many environmental insults. In fact, studies have shown a 30 percent increase in various cancers in children resulting from exposure to toxins in our environment. For example, researchers have discovered a direct connection between the development of leukemia in children whose parents were exposed to various pesticide products. Similarly, studies have revealed a disturbing increase in the occurrence of brain tumors in children exposed to many common pesticides found in the home. In addition, asthma, blamed for six percent of school absenteeism and now the most common chronic childhood disorder, often has its roots in environmental agents.***

*Natural Resources Defense Council,
www.nrdc.org/health/kids/kidscancer/kidscancer1.asp **NCI, Understanding Gene Testing, NIH Pub. 96-3905 (Bethesda, Md.: NCI, 1995. rev. 4.02) *** Natural Resources Defense Council
www.nrdc.org/health/kids/kidscancer/kidscancer5.asp