Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia - Causes

Special viruses called retroviruses, or RNA tumor viruses, cause leukemia in animals. The first of these viruses associated with human leukemia was human thymic leukemia virus -1 (HTLV-1), which may be responsible for some cases of adult acute T-cell leukemia. A strong viral or infectious suspect for ALL, however, has not yet emerged.

Chemicals. To determine whether exposure to specific chemicals causes or increases the risk for leukemia is a daunting challenge. About 75,000 synthetic chemicals were introduced in the first half of the century. In addition, investigators must study the emissions from cars, the pesticides in foods and in neighborhoods, and the runoffs in drinking water.

Electromagnetic Fields. Some studies have reported an association between leukemia and high levels of electromagnetic radiation (EMR), although this is controversial. Lower levels of radiation (e.g., living near power lines, video screen emissions, small appliances, cell phones) are unlikely to pose any cancer risk.

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