 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Patricia Buffler, PhD, MPH, School of Public Health, University of California at Berkeley, 140 Warren Hall #7360, Berkeley, CA 94720, (510) 643-8083, pab@uclink4.berkeley.edu
The causes of childhood leukemia remain largely unknown. Household pesticides are an environmental exposure of particular concern since previous studies have suggested that chemical and pesticide exposure during pregnancy and after birth may be related to the subsequent development of childhood leukemia. We have conducted a case control study of exposure to household chemicals and pesticides and childhood leukemia of children ages 0 to 14 years in 35 Northern and Central California counties. We used self-report and interview data to determine the temporal relationship of exposure to environmental agents including dietary, occupational and residential chemical exposures. In addition, we used molecular biologic techniques to characterize the subtypes of leukemia and the presence of genetic changes. We analyzed the following biological specimens to identify the timing of exposures: bone marrow and peripheral blood of newly diagnosed cases; buccal cell specimens from cases, their mothers and control subjects; and archived newborn blood from cases and controls born in California. This study will attempt to link specific chemical components with genetic changes found in childhood leukemia, and will help to reduce the percentage of leukemias for which there is no known cause. In this presentation we will address our research and its implications for future work in this field.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Child Health, Environmental Exposures
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.