Parental occupational exposures and risk of neuroblastoma: a case-control study (United States).
BACKGROUND
A case-control study was conducted with 183 histologically confirmed neuroblastoma cases aged 0-14 years diagnosed among residents of New York State, excluding New York City, between 1976 and 1987. Three hundred seventy-two controls were selected from the New York State live birth certificate registry and were matched to cases on year of birth.


METHODS
Parental occupational exposures at the time of each child's birth were obtained from maternal telephone interviews, successfully completed for 85% of cases and 87% of controls.


RESULTS
Odds ratios were significantly elevated for maternal occupation in the service (OR = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.0 4.1) and retail (OR = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.1-3.7) industries and paternal occupation in materials handling (OR = 3.8, 95% CI = 1.1-14.6). Odds ratios were also significantly elevated for maternal report of occupational exposure to acetone (OR = 3.1, 95% CI = 1.7-5.6), insecticides (OR = 2.3, 95% CI = 1.4-3.7), lead (OR = 4.7, 95% CI = 1.3-18.2) and petroleum (OR = 3.0, 95% CI = 1.5-6.1) and paternal exposure to creosote (OR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.1-4.3), dioxin (OR = 6.9, 95% CI = 1.3-68.4), lead (OR = 2.4, 95% CI = 1.2-4.8), and petroleum (OR = 1.8, 95% CI = 1.1-2.8).


CONCLUSIONS
Due to the uncertainty of the biologic plausibility of these associations and the possibility of alternative explanations, these results should be interpreted cautiously.
Kerr
M A
MA
Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore 21201, USA. mpapa001@umaryland.edu
Nasca
P C
PC
Mundt
K A
KA
Michalek
A M
AM
Baptiste
M S
MS
Mahoney
M C
MC
D000096:Acetone / Q000009:adverse effects; D000293:Adolescent; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007306:Insecticides / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D018812:Paternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010578:Petroleum / Q000009:adverse effects; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
D007306:Insecticides; D010578:Petroleum; D000096:Acetone