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University of California, San Francisco
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WSPEHSU Western States Pediatric Environmental Health Speciality Unit

Childhood Cancer & the Environment Science and Community Outreach/Social Media Videos

Science Videos

Graph showing a trend of steadily increasing childhood cancer incidence from 1999 through 2020. Slight decreased incidence for white and black children 2016 through 2020 but not for Latinx or Asian children.

A scientific video series on children’s cancer and the environment, featuring Drs. Catherine Metayer and Joe Wiemels of the Children’s Integrative Research on Childhood Leukemia and the Environment (CIRCLE) at UC Berkeley:

  • Folate and reduced risk of childhood cancer – Dr. Wiemels discusses how folate is important during pregnancy for reducing risk of childhood leukemia and brain cancers. 
  • How diet can affect childhood cancer risk – Dr. Metayer covers population-based research from several countries, indicating a healthy diet during the critical periods of a child’s development is important in reducing risk of several childhood cancers. This includes strong evidence for the beneficial role of breastfeeding in preventing acute leukemia, the most common cancer in children.
  • Childhood Leukemia and the Immune System – Dr. Wiemels discusses how exposure and reactions to common infections can influence a child’s risk of leukemia. “Training” immune systems with measured responses to normal infections and vaccinations can reduce leukemia risk, with the possible exception of early infection with cytomegalovirus which is associated with increased risk.
  • Pesticides and Risks of Childhood Cancers – Dr. Metayer presents data from epidemiologic studies around the world, showing pre- and postnatal exposures to residential and agricultural pesticides can increase risk of certain types of childhood cancers. 
  • Descriptive Epidemiology and Biology of Childhood Cancers – Drs. Metayer and Wiemels show how the burden of childhood cancers varies by racial and ethnic group, suggesting contributions from environment and genetic susceptibility. 
  • Indoor and Outdoor Air Pollution and Childhood Cancers – Dr. Metayer discusses how air pollution contains known carcinogens linked to increased risk of several children’s cancers.
  • Germline Genetics and Childhood Cancers – Dr. Wiemels describes the two main types of genetic studies and types of mutations each can illuminate. The ways that environmental exposure to tobacco can impact risk to leukemia are also covered.
  • Biology of Carcinogenesis and Childhood Cancers – Dr. Wiemels discusses how carcinogens work via mutagenic and non-mutagenic pathways. 

Community Outreach/Social Media Videos

Title card for Love in a Time of Toxicants shadow puppet video

Videos on ways to reduce the risk of childhood cancer before conception and during early pregnancy: 

These videos are developed by Miranda Kahn, a paper artist and stop motion animator. They are made with hand-cut paper.