Toxic air pollutants even a trace amount heighten the risk of childhood cancer, according to cancer specialists, who say that the overall incidence of childhood cancer in India is reported to be over a lakh of new cases per year. “About 1.6 to 4.8 per cent of all cancers in India is seen in children below 15 years. Cancers in children are believed to result from an interaction between genetic and environmental factors. Though the precise causes leading to development of cancers in children are unknown, one of the leading factors is the external environment that is exposure to chemicals like benzene, toluene, pesticides and solvents, and also exposure to ionising radiation,’’ said Anupam Sachdeva, director, Paediatric Hematology Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation Institute For Child Health, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. Speaking on the eve of World Cancer Day, Dr. Sachdeva said, “With the increasing incidence of cancers, we should make sincere efforts towards their prevention.” “ Where the changing governmental policies point towards the expansion of nuclear power plants in the country for energy security, the most stringent precautions ought to be taken to avoid any emission/ fallout from these power plants. With radioactivity causing pollution at every stage of the nuclear fuel cycle: from mining and milling to reprocessing or disposal, a long-term radioactive waste disposal policy should be developed by the government,” said Dr. Sachdeva. “About 1.6 to 4.8 per cent of all cancers in India is seen in children below 15 years"