Cancer in a Young Population in a Dioxin-Contaminated Area

An industrial accident in Seveso, Italy, in 1976, caused contamination of the residential community with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin ITCDD). We investigated cancer occurrence in the first post-accident decade (1977-1986) among nearly 20 000 subjects aged 0-19 years. People who left the area were actively followed with a 99% follow-up rate. For reported cancer cases confirmation was obtained through consultation with original medical records. Two ovarian cancers were observed versus none expected. A suggestive increase was seen for Hodgkin's lymphoma (relative risk [RR]=2.0; 95% confidence interval [Cl]=0.5-7.6). Myeloid leukaemia showed a clear, but not statistically significant increase (RR=2.7; 95% Cl=0.7-11.4)