Growing up on a livestock farm seems to be linked to an increased risk of developing blood cancers as an adult, indicates research published online in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

The risk of developing a blood cancer was three times as high for those who had grown up on a poultry farm, the study shows.

Previous research has suggested that farmers are at increased risk of blood cancers, the possible explanations for which have focused on exposure to pesticides or infections as a result of contact with farm animals. But most of this research has focused on adults, say the authors, with little information on potential early life factors. [Read more...]