Skip to main content
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health logoLink to Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
. 1981 Dec;35(4):245–250. doi: 10.1136/jech.35.4.245

Occupations of fathers of children dying from neoplasms.

B M Sanders, G C White, G J Draper
PMCID: PMC1052171  PMID: 7338698

Abstract

It has been suggested in a number of recent reports that there is a possible relationship between parental occupation and malignant disease in children. A proportional mortality analysis relating deaths among children in England and Wales in 1959-63 and 1970-72 to occupation of father as stated on the child's death certificate has not shown any convincing evidence for such associations. Earlier papers published on the subject are reviewed. Although there is some slight evidence for associations between childhood tumours and certain parental occupations there is little consistency between the results reported by different authors. A previously reported association between higher social class and deaths from neoplasms was found also in this study. The explanation for this finding is unknown, and it remains possible that it is an artefact.

Full text

PDF

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bithell J. F., Stewart A. M. Pre-natal irradiation and childhood malignancy: a review of British data from the Oxford Survey. Br J Cancer. 1975 Mar;31(3):271–287. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1975.62. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Corbett T. H., Cornell R. G., Endres J. L., Lieding K. Birth defects among children of nurse-anesthetists. Anesthesiology. 1974 Oct;41(4):341–344. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Fabia J., Thuy T. D. Occupation of father at time of birth of children dying of malignant diseases. Br J Prev Soc Med. 1974 May;28(2):98–100. doi: 10.1136/jech.28.2.98. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Fedrick J., Alberman E. D. Reported influenza in pregnancy and subsequent cancer in the child. Br Med J. 1972 May 27;2(5812):485–488. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.5812.485. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Hakulinen T., Salonen T., Teppo L. Cancer in the offspring of fathers in hydrocarbon-related occupations. Br J Prev Soc Med. 1976 Jun;30(2):138–140. doi: 10.1136/jech.30.2.138. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hemminki K., Saloniemi I., Salonen T., Partanen T., Vainio H. Childhood cancer and parental occupation in Finland. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1981 Mar;35(1):11–15. doi: 10.1136/jech.35.1.11. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Herbst A. L., Cole P., Colton T., Robboy S. J., Scully R. E. Age-incidence and risk of diethylstilbestrol-related clear cell adenocarcinoma of the vagina and cervix. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1977 May 1;128(1):43–50. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(77)90293-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kantor A. F., Curnen M. G., Meigs J. W., Flannery J. T. Occupations of fathers of patients with Wilms's tumour. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1979 Dec;33(4):253–256. doi: 10.1136/jech.33.4.253. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Muñoz N. Perinatal viral infections and the risk of certain cancers. Prog Biochem Pharmacol. 1978;14:104–108. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Stewart A., Kneale G. W. Role of local infections in the recognition of haemopoietic neoplasms. Nature. 1969 Aug 16;223(5207):741–742. doi: 10.1038/223741a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Tomlin P. J. Health problems of anaesthetists and their families in the West Midlands. Br Med J. 1979 Mar 24;1(6166):779–784. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.6166.779. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Zack M., Cannon S., Loyd D., Heath C. W., Jr, Falletta J. M., Jones B., Housworth J., Crowley S. Cancer in children of parents exposed to hydrocarbon-related industries and occupations. Am J Epidemiol. 1980 Mar;111(3):329–336. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a112904. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES