Expected duration: October 2023 - September 2028

Childhood leukaemia

In the Netherlands, roughly 150 children and young people up to age 18 are diagnosed with leukaemia every year. The causes remain unclear. Research abroad suggests that there may be a link between childhood leukaemia and pesticides. This study first investigates whether children and young people live or have lived near agricultural land where pesticides are sprayed. The study will also examine whether parents were exposed to pesticides before the birth of their child. This may have happened in their home environment and/or through their work in agriculture or horticulture.

Lymphoma in adults

There are many different forms of lymphoma. The three most common forms alone account for more than 3,000 new cases each year. This sub-study also examines whether people with lymphoma live or have lived near agricultural or horticultural areas.

How this is investigated

The researchers use data from the Netherlands Cancer Registry (in Dutch) to determine which children, young people and adults have developed these types of cancer. Using these data, the researchers analyse whether there is a link at group level to pesticide exposure in the living environment. The computational model developed in sub-study 2 will be used for this. All analyses take place within the secure digital environment of Statistics Netherlands.