NITMIX

Head lice treatment and childhood leukaemia link?

In a recently published study researchers in France concluded there was sufficient evidence of a link between exposure to various household pesticides and childhood leukaemia to warrant further investigation.

While such studies are far from producing conclusive links between cause and effect of a specific chemical they are often an indication that all is not well. Scientists investigated the history of families of diagnosed cancer sufferers paying careful attention to the use of pesticides in the home, garden and head lice treatments during both pregnancy and early year’s development.

What emerged was a consistent pattern that more families with childhood cancers had also used pesticides in ways that could have contacted their children in the womb or in early life. In scientific circles this is far from proof but it did indicate that much more work needs to be done to understand the possible link.

Unfortunately this study had to rely on the families of over 280 children already struggling with a frightening disease to co-operate with them. To conduct further studies researchers must go through this again many times. That is an awful lot of children suffering before any clear conclusion is made.

What is immediately clear is that, in almost every case, the pesticide exposure to the children was the result of choices made by their parents. Household and garden problems in France don’t involve any life threatening insects or parasites and therefore aren’t so urgent or important that possibly life threatening chemicals must be used. Exposure to pesticides in the home is largely a matter of choice.

In the case of head lice there is no major health threat if children get this condition and certainly nothing to warrant voluntary exposure to pesticides such as pyrethroid, organophosphate or organochlorides. A simple removal program conducted by the parents would eliminate this possible pesticide exposure risk entirely.

As further work continues in this area the risk posed by pesticides in the home will become much clearer but in the mean time simple risk reduction should be the parent’s watchword.

The complete article should be read by anyone concerned by the issues raised in this brief overview.

Household exposure to pesticides and risk of childhood acute leukaemia. F Menegaux, et al. Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2006;63:131-134. © 2006 by BMJ Publishing Group Ltd