Summary: Although childhood leukemia is the most common childhood cancer, little is known about its causes. Incidence of acute lymphocytic leukemia, the most common childhood leukemia, is highest in industrialized countries and rose significantly between 1975 and 2004, suggesting environmental agents may play some role. In this podcast, Mary H. Ward explores the idea that polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) could be one such agent. Ward is the lead author of "Residential exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides and risk of childhood leukemia" [EHP 117:1007-1013 (2009)] and a senior investigator in the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland.
