Parental occupational exposure to engine exhausts and childhood brain tumors. Issue 12 (19th December 2012)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Peters, Susan; Glass, Deborah C.; Reid, Alison; de Klerk, Nicholas; Armstrong, Bruce K.; Kellie, Stewart; Ashton, Lesley J.; Milne, Elizabeth; Fritschi, Lin
• Is Part Of: International journal of cancer. Volume 132:Issue 12(2013:Jun. 15)
• Page Start: 2975
• Page End: 2979
• Publication Date: 2012-12-19
• Subjects: childhood cancer -- diesel exhaust -- parental exposure -- case–control study; Cancer -- Periodicals; Cancer -- Prevention -- Periodicals; 616.994
• DOI: 10.1002/ijc.27972
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0020-7136

Abstract

Abstract: Childhood brain tumors (CBT) are the leading cause of cancer death in children; their risk factors are still largely unknown. Since most CBTs are diagnosed before five years of age, prenatal exposure and early postnatal factors may be involved in their etiology. We investigated the association between CBT and parental occupational exposure to engine exhausts in an Australian population‐based case–control study. Parents of 306 cases and 950 controls completed detailed occupational histories. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated for both maternal and paternal exposure in key time periods. Increased risks were observed for maternal exposure to diesel exhaust any time before the child's birth (OR 2.03, 95% CI 1.09–3.81) and paternal exposure around the time of the child's conception (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.12–2.34). No clear associations with other engine exhausts were found. Our results suggest that parental occupational exposure to diesel exhaust may increase the risk of CBT. Abstract : What's new? The causes of childhood brain tumors are largely unknown, but because they generally appear before age 5, prenatal factors seem likely to play a role. In this study, the authors collected data on the occupations of parents of children with and without brain tumors. Parental exposure to diesel exhaust, they found, increased likelihood of childhood brain tumors. Both maternal and paternal exposure increased the tumor risk, while exposure to other types of engine exhausts had no effect.