JOEM: Maternal exposure to heavy metals from industrial sources during pregnancy and childhood cancer risk in California (September 2024)-Maternal exposure to heavy metals from industrial sources during pregnancy and childhood cancer risk in California

Maternal exposure to heavy metals from industrial sources during pregnancy and childhood cancer risk in California

Pdf Summary

A study explored the relationship between maternal exposure to heavy metals from industrial sources during pregnancy and the risk of childhood cancer. The research focused on cases diagnosed from 1998 to 2016 in California, involving 15,744 cases and 283,141 controls, identified from the California Cancer Registry and the California Birth Registry, respectively.<br /><br />Researchers estimated maternal exposure to lead, nickel, and cobalt in ambient air using data from the Toxics Release Inventory. Exposure levels were grouped into "ever/never" and "high/low" categories, with adjustments made for factors such as maternal age, race/ethnicity, method of prenatal care payment, neighborhood socioeconomic status, and urban/rural residence.<br /><br />The study found significant associations between high exposure to lead and increased risks for germ cell tumors (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.30) and teratoma (aOR 1.52). For nickel, high exposure was linked to an increased risk of rhabdomyosarcoma (aOR 1.45) but an inverse association with Wilms tumor (aOR 0.64). Cobalt exposure was associated with increased glioma risk (aOR 2.25).<br /><br />The findings suggest that air pollution from industrial heavy metals could elevate the risk of childhood cancers. The study employed a quadratic decay model to assess the risks in relation to industrial metal exposure during pregnancy, considering the spatial relationship between residential addresses and industrial sites. This methodology avoided bias from parental occupational exposures and selective participation by using registry-based data.<br /><br />While the study effectively utilized large datasets and rigorous exposure assessment methods, it was limited by potential exposure misclassification due to unknown parental occupations and residential moves during pregnancy. Future research could benefit from integrating more detailed occupational exposure data to enrich these findings.

Keywords

maternal exposure

heavy metals

childhood cancer

industrial sources

lead

nickel

cobalt

California Cancer Registry

ambient air

toxics release inventory