CHILDREN who live next to petrol stations may be four times more likely to contract leukaemia, research suggests.

Higher concentrations of hydrocarbons, such as benzene, which are found around repair garages and petrol stations, are thought to be responsible. Benzene is an aromatic hydrocarbon produced by the burning of natural products.

Children are most at risk if repeatedly exposed to the fumes emitted as cars are being refuelled. Constant exposure to benzene has previously been identified as a cause of adult leukaemia for workers in a plastics factory. It has been classified as a group 1 carcinogenic substance by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

The research was conducted by a team from the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research and involved a survey of the mothers of 280 children with leukaemia. Two thirds of the children with leukaemia were aged between two and six.

The team questioned the mothers about their employment during pregnancy, family living conditions and proximity of major roads. The research was conducted at four hospitals in French cities — Nancy, Lille, Lyons and Paris — and the scientists then compared the results with a control sample of 285 healthy children.

Their findings suggest that the chances of contracting the disease were not increased by living next to a busy road or by the mother being exposed to benzene during pregnancy.

However, they did discover a link between acute childhood leukaemia and living next to a petrol station or car repair garage.

The study determined that a child living in the vicinity of a petrol station or a commercial garage was four times as likely to develop leukaemia as a child whose home was not close to these outlets (17 cases compared with 7).

The risk appeared to be even greater for acute non-lymphoblastic leukaemia. This was seven times more common among the children living close to a petrol station or commercial garage.

A spokesman for BP said yesterday that they would not comment until they had seen the report. A spokesman for the UK Petroleum Industry Association said that he was surprised at the results because most garages had “vapour recovery” systems to prevent benzene escaping.

Only four in 100,000 children contract childhood leukaemia, but it is the most common type of childhood cancer in developed countries.

At present a few rare diseases and high doses of ionising radiation have been identified as some of the possible causes of childhood leukaemia.

According to the authors of the research: “These findings, as far as we know, have never been described before, and could be due to chance. However, the strength of the association and the duration trend are arguments for a causal association. The results need to be confirmed by further investigations.”

Long-term exposure to benzene may affect bone marrow and blood production. Short-term exposure to high levels of benzene can cause drowsiness, dizziness, unconsciousness, and death.

Explore World News

• World Agenda

• Iraq News

• US & Americas News

• Europe News

• Middle East News

• Afghanistan News

• Asia News

• Africa News

• Ireland News

Times Recommends

• It’s only Brits who don’t appreciate me, says Blair
• Party’s over for Greek graspers
• White House tightens security for Xmas marathon