Pediatric Oncology Clinician Education
The PEHSUs are a national network of experts in health issues that arise from environmental exposures from preconception through adolescence. The Childhood Cancer & the Environment project has developed “PEHSU champions” on environmental contributors to childhood cancer, enabling them to provide support to pediatricians and the public nationwide. It also is training pediatric oncology fellows and nurse practitioners and give them the tools to offer practical guidance on how to prevent exposures to toxic chemicals associated with childhood cancer risk.
What environmental hazards are associated with increased risk of developing certain childhood cancers?
- Radiation
- Air Pollution
- Tobacco Smoke
- Solvent/Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
- Pesticides
Quick Tips for Providers to share with patients and families
- Recommend they avoid common household toxicants, such as pesticides
- Advising they take vitamins and folate in the period before conception and during pregnancy
- Informing families of children undergoing chemotherapy about the increased risk for respiratory illness from particulate air pollution, so they can make protective choices when air quality is poor.
Additional Resources for Health Professionals
Get the Facts About Childhood Cancer
Visit the Western States PEHSU for more information and resources on childhood cancer and the environment.