Children’s cancer rates are on the rise, leaving parents wondering what’s behind the trend. A new report sheds light into one avoidable risk: household pesticides. Children exposed to insecticides have a 50 percent higher risk of developing certain cancers in childhood. Indoor exposure to insecticides was associated with higher rates of leukemia and lymphoma. Exposure to outdoor herbicides was associated with 26 percent higher childhood leukemia risk. Childhood exposure could also be causing health issues that manifest later in life. To protect your household members: stop using pesticides on your lawn and garden. Indoors, use pesticides only as a last resort. Take preventive steps by making changes in your home to deter pests like roaches, ants, wasps and rodents from living there in the first place. Schools and daycare’s should do the same.
