Airโฃ Pollution During Infancy Linked toโค Increased Leukemia Risk, Study Finds
Paris, โFrance โ- โExposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollutionโค shortly after โฃbirth isโข associated with aโข significantly higher risk of developing โacute leukemia in children, according โฃto new research โขpublished inโค Environmentalโ Health. The โstudy, lead by researchers at the French โnational instituteโ of Health and medical Research (Inserm), found โthat children โขwith the โhighest exposure to PM2.5 had approximately a 70%โ increased risk compared to those with the lowest exposure.
Acute leukemia is the most common childhoodโ cancer, and while several risk factors are known, the impact of early-life air pollution exposure hasโ remainedโฃ unclear. Researchers from Inserm, alongside teams from Sorbonne Paris Nord, Paris Citรฉ universities, and INRAE, analyzedโข data from โthe national childhood cancer registry as part of the GEOCAP-Birth project to investigate this link.โ
The study modeled infantโ exposure โto โขpollutants – includingโค nitrogen dioxide (NO2), PM2.5, and black carbon – at thier place of birth.โ Notably, the research did not โขfindโ a direct correlation โขbetween proximity to major roadsโ and increased leukemia risk.
“Thes results support โthe hypothesis of โa โrole of perinatal exposure to air pollution in the occurrence โof acuteโค leukemia โขin โchildren,” stated Aurรฉlie Danjou,โ Inserm researcher and first author of the โขstudy.
The findings underscore growing concerns about the โimpact of โขenvironmental factors on child health and add to the body of evidence highlighting the needโข for continued effortsโค to reduce air pollution levels, especially โinโฃ areas where infantsโ and young โฃchildren live.
