Childhood leukaemia mortality and population change in England and Wales 1969-73

Recent evidence from new towns in Great Britain suggests that childhood leukaemia mortality is associated with rapid population growth. It has been proposed that this may reflect patterns of population mixing and exposure to infectious diseases which may predispose to the development of leukaemia in children. This study examines childhood leukaemia mortality for 1365 local authority areas of England and Wales for the period 1969 to 1973 with reference to population change between 1961 and 1971. A significantly increased risk of childhood leukaemia mortality was found for 0-14 year olds in areas which experienced more than a 50% increase in population over the decade (R. R. 1.408, 95% C. I. 1.126-1.761). A cumulative sum analysis shows a threshold at approximately 50% population growth rather than a continuous relationship. A map of the data suggests that areas of significantly raised mortality compared to the national average are concentrated in and around the major conurbations of the area studied.