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Long-term Behavioral and Reproductive Consequences of Embryonic Exposure to Low-dose Toxicants
Published on: March 6, 2018
Maternal and Paternal Household Pesticide Exposure During Pregnancy and Risk of Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic
Alexandra L Ruth1, Umer Rehman, Patricia Stewart
1From the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (A.R., U.R., R.Y., R.T.W.); Stewart Exposure Assessments, LLC, Arlington, Virginia (P.S.); and Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland (L.E.M.).
Objective:
The aim of this study was to investigate whether risk estimates for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia change when restricting model comparison groups to "nonpesticide exposure" (NPE10) households.
Methods:
Cases ( n = 1810) 15 years or younger were identified through Children's Cancer Group institutions between 1989 and 1993 and age-/sex-matched to controls ( n = 1951). Household pesticide use during pregnancy/month prior was collected via telephone. NPE10 comparison group reporting no parental exposure to 10 pesticide classes was identified.
Results:
Adjusted odds ratios increased from 15% to 49% when limiting the comparison to NPE10. Maternal termite insecticide exposure was associated with greatest risk (adjusted odds ratio, 4.21; 95% confidence interval, 2.00-8.88). There was minimal evidence of interaction by child sex or occupational pesticide exposure, and no monotonic dose-response pattern with frequency of use (times per year).
Conclusions:
Elevated risks are consistent with published pooled-/meta-analyses and DNA damage. The consistency and magnitude of these associations warrant product labeling, exposure reduction interventions, or both.
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