French study reveals the dangers posed to children by household insecticides

• Children frequently exposed to household insecticides used on plants, lawns and in head-lice shampoos appear to run double the risk of developing childhood leukemia.
• A study by French doctors, published yesterday in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, supports concerns raised in recent years about the use of toxic insecticides around the home and garden - including plant sprays, medication shampoos and mosquito repellents - and a possible correlation with increased rates of acute leukemia in children.
• Detailed interviews were carried out with each mother.
• These included questions about the employment history of both parents, the use of insecticides in the home and garden and the use of insecticidal shampoos against head lice.
• It showed that the risk of developing acute leukemia was almost twice as likely in children whose mothers said they had used insecticides in the home while pregnant and after the birth.
• Exposure to garden insecticides and fungicides as a child was associated with a more than doubling of disease occurrence.
• Describing the links as significant, the authors said preventative action should be considered to ensure that the health risks tochildren were as small as possible.
• A group of pesticides known as carbamates, which are present in plant treatments, lice shampoos and insect sprays, are most commonly linked to cases of leukemia.
• Leukemia is the term used to describe a number of cancers of the blood cells.
• Scientists believe that the cancer starts in the womb, with a second event triggering the disease's development in childhood.
• The possible link to pesticides remains hotly debated, with many scientists disputing the suggestion that it is a significant factor.
• Although products sold for use in homes and gardens are tested, mixtures of pesticides are not generally tested because of the number of permutations involved.