Cancer treatment may be needed by youngsters with an elevated amount of pesticide in their system.
This is the finding of a study, which analysed the urine of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) for traces of pesticide.
Researchers were at pains to clarify that although a link was apparent, the cancer, which is usually diagnosed in children aged between three and seven years, was not caused by the use of common household pesticides.
Dr Offie Soldin, epidemiologist at Lombardi, commented: "In our study we compared urine samples from children with ALL and their mothers with healthy children and their moms.
"We found elevated levels of common household pesticides more often in the mother-child pairs affected by cancer."
She added that although it cannot be assumed the pesticides were the cause of cancer in the children, further investigation was necessary to establish the link.
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia occurs when immature white blood cells are over produced in the bone marrow.