Exposure to pyrethroid pesticides and the risk of childhood brain tumors in East China

Pesticide exposure is hypothesized as one of the risk factors for the development of childhood brain tumors (CBT). This hospital-based case–control study evaluated the association of pyrethroid pesticide exposure with the risk for CBT in a children population in East China. In total, 161 CBT cases and 170 controls were recruited from 2 children's medical centers in Shanghai (Xinhua Hospital and Shanghai Children's Medical Center) between September 2012 and June 2015. The cases and controls were matched for age, sex, and province of residence. Pyrethroid pesticide exposure was evaluated by urinalysis of 3 nonspecific metabolites of pyrethroids (cis-DCCA, trans-DCCA, and 3-PBA) using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) detection and by administering a questionnaire. Unconditional logistic regression showed that trans-DCCA, 3-PBA, and total metabolites (sum of the 3 metabolites) were positively associated with the increased risk of CBT. Children in the highest quartile had a nearly 3-fold increased risk of CBT compared with those in the lowest quartile after adjusting for confounding factors (trans-DCCA, odds ratio (OR) = 2.58, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.38–4.80, p = 0.003; 3-PBA, OR = 3.26, 95% CI, 1.73–6.14, p < 0.0001; total metabolites, OR = 3.60, 95% CI, 1.87–6.93, p < 0.0001). We also found that exposure to both mosquitocide and cockroach killer was related to the increased risk of CBT (mosquitocide, OR = 1.68, 95% CI, 1.06–2.67, p = 0.027; cockroach killer, OR = 1.83, 95% CI, 1.13–2.95, p = 0.013). These findings indicate that exposure to pyrethroid pesticides might be associated with increased risk of CBT. Prospective cohort studies with larger sample sizes are required to confirm this conclusion.