World Scene: United States

Pesticide linked to leukemia

Patients with childhood leukemia have elevated levels of household pesticides in their urine, according to a new study by the Georgetown University Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The researchers compared urine samples from 41 pairs each of children with ALL (acute lymphoblastic leukemia) and their mothers with healthy children and their moms. "We found elevated levels of common household pesticides more often in the mother-child pairs affected by cancer," said lead researcher Offie Soldin. "We shouldn't assume that pesticides caused these cancers, but our findings support the need for more research in this area."