No single known cause for all of the different types of leukemia exists. The different leukemias likely have different causes.
Known causes include natural and artificial ionizing radiation, viruses such as Human T-lymphotropic virus, and some chemicals, notably benzene and alkylating chemotherapy agents for previous malignancies.
Use of tobacco is associated with a small increase in the risk of developing acute myeloid leukemia in adults. They concluded that there is limited evidence that high levels of ELF magnetic (but not electric) fields might cause childhood leukemia.
Exposure to significant ELF magnetic fields might result in twofold excess risk for leukemia for children exposed to these high levels of magnetic fields.
Until the cause or causes of leukemia are found, there is no way to prevent the disease. Even when the causes become known, they may not be readily controllable, such as naturally occurring background radiation, and therefore not especially helpful for prevention purposes.
Further Reading
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