We often think of growing up on a farm as idyllic—living close to nature with lots of fresh air and exercise. But, if new research out of New Zealand holds true everywhere, that rosy view may change. They found that children raised on livestock farms had a significantly higher risk of developing blood cancers such as leukemia, multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma later in life.

While further research will need to be conducted to determine the causal relationship between livestock farming and blood cancers, the researchers believe that exposure to particular viruses during childhood may alter the immune system response and increase blood cancer risk.

After analyzing data from the death certificates of 114,000 people who died between 1998 and 2003 in New Zealand, the researchers found:

• More than 3,000 deaths were attributed to blood cancers.
• Growing up on a livestock farm was linked to a 22% higher risk of developing blood cancers.
• Being raised on a poultry farm carried the greatest risk. They were three times more likely to have some form of blood cancer.
• People raised on crop farms, however, were not more likely to develop blood cancer. In fact, they exhibited a 20% lower risk of these cancers.

This isn’t the first time that a particular occupation has been linked to blood cancers. Workplace exposures to benzene at petrochemical and plastics plants have been associated with increased risk for developing at least four types of blood and immune cell cancers according to a report by the U.S. National Cancer Institute and Dutch researchers.

Sources:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Environmental Health Perspectives.