Lice Treatment Linked to Leukemia

Shocking reports from a recent French study suggest that children who use the pesticide shampoos commonly used as head lice treatment are twice as likely to get leukemia.

(PRWEB) February 16, 2006 -- Shocking reports from a recent French study suggest that children who use the pesticide shampoos commonly used as head lice treatment are twice as likely to get leukemia. No brand names were specified by the study’s findings, but there were several chemicals named as the main culprits: malathion, pyrethroid and lindane. Several of the leading pesticide shampoo brands in the U.S., including Rid, list a form of pyrethroid as an active ingredient.

INSERM, France’s national medical research organization, conducted the study by interviewing the parents of 280 children who had been newly diagnosed with acute leukemia, as well as 288 comparable children who did not have the disease. The conclusive evidence was that using chemical insecticide shampoos, particularly ones that include the chemicals listed above, almost doubles a child’s risk of developing leukemia. In addition, INSERM found that the risk of leukemia was also doubled in children whose mothers used insecticides around the home while pregnant and even after the birth.

According to the National Cancer Institute, cancer is the number one cause of death in children from age 1 to age 14, and leukemia accounts for 25 percent of all childhood cancers, affecting over two thousand American children each year. In light of the new evidence presented by INSERM, It’s extremely unsettling to think that some of these cases could have been prevented.

The problem that conscientious parents are faced with is that head lice is a fact of life in most elementary schools and, sooner or later, their child will most likely come home with lice nits in their hair and scalp. Considering the links between pesticide shampoos and leukemia, parents will probably choose to seek a safer treatment alternative. One product made of all natural ingredients is Licex, developed by Selmedica Healthcare,
which the company claims begins to kill head lice within seven minutes, and kills all lice and their eggs in one 40 minute application, all with no chemicals.

“When it comes to your child’s life, it’s not worth the risk of using potentially harmful chemicals as a form of treatment. Licex is the all-natural, completely safe solution that caring parents are seeking,” says Katie May, scientist at Selmedica Healthcare.

For more information about head lice parasites and their treatment, visit www.licex.com.

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