Household water source and the risk of childhood brain tumours: results of the SEARCH International Brain Tumor Study

Background The period in utero is a time of increased vulnerability. Offspring of pregnant women exposed to carcinogenic substances in drinking water may be more likely to develop cancer. We examined whether household water source and the presence of nitrates or nitrites in residential water were as...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of epidemiology 2004-12, Vol.33 (6), p.1209-1216
Main Authors: Mueller, Beth A, Nielsen, Susan Searles, Preston-Martin, Susan, Holly, Elizabeth A, Cordier, Sylvaine, Filippini, Graziella, Peris-Bonet, Raphael, Choi, NW
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Astrocytoma - chemically induced
Astrocytoma - epidemiology
Brain Neoplasms - chemically induced
Brain Neoplasms - epidemiology
Case-Control Studies
Child
Childhood brain tumours
drinking water
environmental exposures
Female
Humans
Maternal Exposure
nitrates
Nitrates - toxicity
nitrites
Pregnancy
Risk
Water Supply
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Summary:Background The period in utero is a time of increased vulnerability. Offspring of pregnant women exposed to carcinogenic substances in drinking water may be more likely to develop cancer. We examined whether household water source and the presence of nitrates or nitrites in residential water were associated with increased risks of childhood brain tumours (CBT). Methods We used data from a multicentre, case-control study with maternal information on residential water source, and nitrate/nitrite levels of tap water measured by dipstick. Subjects included 836 CBT cases and 1485 controls from five countries. Results The risks of CBT associated with reliance on well water (versus public water) during pregnancy varied widely, with significantly increased risks noted in two (of seven) regions and a decreased risk observed in one region. CBT risk did not increase with increasing nitrate levels. However, our results based on tap water tested in the pregnancy residences suggest the risk of astrocytoma may be associated with increasing levels of nitrite (odds ratio [OR] = 4.3, 95% CI: 1.4, 12.6 for nitrite levels of 1–
ISSN:0300-5771
1464-3685
1464-3685
DOI:10.1093/ije/dyh215