Residential pesticides cause cancer in children

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An analysis of an old research reveals that children who are exposed to specific kind of pesticides used commonly at homes may cause different specific types of cancer in them.

Researchers looked into 16 different studies, focusing on the linkage of exposure of pesticides used at home and cancers that occur in childhood.

The analysis uncovered the effects of three specific kinds of pesticides: herbicides, outdoor insecticides and indoor insecticides. Researchers from one of the studies, ‘Top Ten Cancer Fighting Foods,’ included more than 1,200 child subjects with cancer.

They came to a conclusion that children who were never exposed to indoor insecticides were 47 percent less likely to be diagnosed with Leukemia compared to those who had been exposed to them. Children, who had been exposed to herbicides had a 26% more chance of being diagnosed with Leukemia compared to others. The researchers were not able to find any relation of childhood cancer and outdoor insecticides.

Earlier researches had already concluded that children are more affected by the chemicals within pesticides compared to adults, due to their still-developing immune system which does not provide enough protection as compared to adults.

Studies have also shown an affective relation between pesticides and the respiratory, nervous, gastrointestinal and endocrine systems, both in schools and homes. The new analysis at one place says, “Children may be less able to detoxify and excrete pesticides than those of adults.”

Researchers have explained that these insecticides are designed to kill the organisms and advise parents to avoid using any pesticides or such chemicals in the presence of children or in areas where children spend most of their time.

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