New York, 19 April (IANS). Researchers at the US Yale University of the US have reported that if young children are brought in contact with pollution filled with very fine dust particles (PM 2.5) in the early stages of life, and in contact with outside artificial lights (O-ALAN) at night, they may increase the risk of thyroid cancer.
This research is published in a magazine called ‘Environmental Health Perspectives’. According to research, exposure to small particles present in the air and outdoor light at night may increase the risk of papillary thyroid cancer in children and youth up to 19 years of age.
This risk especially increases when these children come in contact with these things at the time of pregnancy or the first one year of birth. This time is called ‘perineal stage’.
Environmental Health Specialist Dr. Nicole Dail said that it is a matter of concern that both these things have become very common nowadays, especially in cities.
In this research, data of 736 California children and teenagers who had papillary thyroid cancer before the age of 20, and they were compared to 36,800 people who did not cause the disease.
Researchers tested with the help of satellites and maps that in which areas the children lived at birth and what was the level of pollution and nightlight there. All the participants of the study were from California.
The results showed that if the amount of fine particles (PM 2.5) in the air increases by 10 micrograms per cubic meter, the risk of thyroid cancer can increase by 7 percent.
This effect was seen the most among teenagers (15–19 years) and Hispanic children. At the same time, children who were born in areas where artificial lights are high at night, the possibility of thyroid cancer was found to be more than 23 to 25 percent.
Dr. Dail said that thyroid cancer is increasing rapidly among children and adolescents, but we do not have much information about its reasons yet. This study is the first big effort that suggests that pollution and nightlight in the beginning of life can be the cause of this disease.
However, researchers also said that more research is needed before accepting this conclusion firmly.
-IANS
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