Abstract

Abstract

Overview

The necessity to understand the long-term effects of environmental pollution arises from the carcinogenic nature of several pollutants. This concern is heightened by the significant impact of childhood cancer, a principal cause of death globally, highlighting a crucial public health issue.

Findings

This scoping review updates and summarizes the literature from 2013 to 2023, focusing on the relationship between environmental pollutants and various childhood cancers. Data was extracted from 174 studies accessed through the PubMed database, with significant research concentrating on:

• Air Pollution: 29% of studies, with 84% showing high positive associations with childhood cancer.
• Pesticides: 28% of studies, with 82% showing significant positive associations.
• Indoor Chemical Exposure: 11% of studies, showing a substantial correlation with various cancer types.
• Alcohol and Tobacco Use During Pregnancy: 16%.
• Electromagnetic Fields: 12%.
• Radon: 4%.

Mentioned associations include:

• Leukemia, CNS tumors, neuroblastoma with pesticides and air pollution.
• Wilms tumor and additional rare cancers with air pollution.

Conclusion

The evidence collected emphasizes the potential risk factors prenatal and postnatal exposure to indoor and outdoor air pollutants and pesticides pose. It highlights the urgency for further studies to explore the mechanisms driving these associations and suggests more tailored preventive measures.