Images of children in our community who have/had cancer, used with permission from their parents.

childhood cancer rates have risen 40%

It’s a shocking but true fact that childhood cancer has risen 40% since 1975. Cancer in adults, ages 45 and older, has only risen 11% since 1975. Childhood cancer, which makes up 10% of the nation’s total cancer cases, is increasing in rates four times faster than adult cancer rates.

“Children metabolize and get sick from environmental poisoning faster… children are more vulnerable because of their greater environmental exposure pound for pound," says Dr. Phil Landrigan, author, epidemiologist, pediatrician and one of the world’s leading advocates of children’s health.

Less than 10% of pediatric cancers have a history of the same cancer in their family. Children don’t get cancer from decades of smoking, drinking, or sunbathing. Pediatric cancers were once thought to be caused by mistakes during cell division, without any external influence. Research is now focusing on the relationship between pediatric cancers and the environment.

Childhood Cancer & the environment

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“The true burden of environmentally induced cancer has been grossly underestimated.” President’s Cancer Panel 2008-2009

“Incidence rates of thyroid cancer in children and young adults (age 0-19 years) have nearly doubled over a recent 15-year period in the United States. High-dose exposure to ionizing radiation is the only known non-genetic risk factor...” National Institute of Health, 2020: Birth Characteristics and Risk of Pediatric Thyroid Cancer: A Population-Based Record-Linkage Study in California

“This [rise in pediatric cancer incidence rates] may be a result of increasing exposures to environmental toxicants.” Environmental Protection Agency, 2017: Protecting Children's Health Where They Live, Learn, and Play

“The rise in leukemia cases over a relatively short time frame points to a role for environmental triggers.” UC Berkeley, 2016: With rise of leukemia in children, $6 million grant funds search for causes

“While the mortality due to childhood cancer has been decreasing since the 1970s, overall incidence has increased over the same period.” National Institute for Health, 2016: An overview of disparities in childhood cancer: Report on the Inaugural Symposium on Childhood Cancer Health Disparities

“Exposure to ionizing radiation from nuclear accidents… is associated with an increased risk of childhood leukemia and solid tumors.” The Journal of Pediatric Hematology & Oncology, 2015: Children’s Cancer and Environmental Exposures: Professional Attitudes and Practices

“Opportunities for eliminating or minimizing cancer-causing and cancer-promoting environmental exposures must be acted upon to protect all Americans, but especially children… are at special risk due to their smaller body mass and rapid physical development, both of which magnify their vulnerability to known or suspected carcinogens, including radiation.” The President’s Cancer Report, 2009: Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk, What We Can Do Now:

“Carcinogenesis occurs in three main stages: Initiation of the cancer occurs when an environmental agent such as a chemical, an infection or radiation successfully damages DNA and this damage fails to be repaired.” World Health Organization, 2009: Children's Health and the Environment WHO Training Package for the Health Sector

“By default we are conducting a massive toxicological experiment, and our children are the ‘experimental animals.” National Institute for Health, 2001: Environmental contaminants and children’s health: Cause for concern, time for action:

“1 in 9 cancers among children who reside near nuclear reactors is linked to radioactive emissions. If cancer incidence in 5 western states is used as a baseline, the ratio is closer to 1 in 5. Incidence is particularly elevated for leukemia.” Radiation and Public Health Project, New York: 2003 Elevated childhood cancer incidence proximate to U.S. nuclear power plants

“Findings document that the very young are especially susceptible to adverse effects of radiation exposure, even at relatively low doses.” Radiation and Public Health Project, 2006: A short latency between radiation exposure from nuclear plants and cancer in young children

“The most critical issue when considering the effects of radiation on the health of children was the increase of thyroid cancer, as clearly demonstrated among people who were children or adolescence at the time of the Chernobyl accident.” Department of Pathology and Applied Neurobiology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 2012: Radiation hazards in children - lessons from Chernobyl, Three Mile Island and Fukushima

childhood cancer: Current Research

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The Reason Why Us

A ground-breaking online, patient-driven, global medical study that finds correlation between pediatric cancer and environmental hazards. Partnered with Baylor College of Medicine.

 

The Childhood Cancer Data initiative

This groundbreaking initiative, as mentioned by President Biden in his State of the Union address, will begin to piece together the nation’s data on pediatric cancer. Data will be compiled and analyzed, allowing researchers to find trends and connect dots. Its Parents vs SSFL’s hope this will begin to shed light on pediatric cancer clusters.

 

Cignan’s Epidemiological Study

The focus of Cigan’s pilot study is to develop a method to quantify arsenic, cadmium, lead and nickel in the dried blood spots that are routinely collected as part of newborn screenings. These widespread environmental pollutants have been shown to be toxic to adults and animals, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies them as known or probable human carcinogens.

 

Trevor’s Trek

Trevor, a young cancer survivor, helped create this federal law that identifies, tracks and investigates Cancer Clusters Nationwide.

 

Gender and Radiation Impact Project

The Gender and Radiation Impact Project, a 501(c)3 educational and funding nonprofit, works at the intersection of public health, medicine, and public policy. We bring together top thinkers to understand the role biological sex plays in harm from radiation.

 

The study gathers information about the association of the accumulation of toxic exposures with chronic pediatric diseases.

Pediatric Cancer Around the SSFL

When parents of children fighting cancer met through treatment at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles they wondered how they could live so close to each other, when only 15,000 out of 72,000,000 children in America are diagnosed with cancer yearly. (Read Melissa’s story here).

Working with a statistician their self-reported, imputed data showed a pediatric cancer rate above the national average for several pediatric cancers.

Epidemiologist Dr. Morgenstern’s 2007 study showed a 60% higher incidence cancer rate for adults living within 2 miles of the site. Though a pediatric study was not conducted, the results paralleled the self-reported study of pediatric cancers.

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Parents Against SSFL assumes that if they were able to do a more comprehensive survey, the number of children represented on the map would likely be double the amount as most of the children were from CHLA, spoke English and were girls.