On the need to assess cancer risk in populations environmentally and occupationally exposed to virus and chemical agents in developing countries

Abstract

Evidence exists that exposure to poultry oncogenic viruses may produce elevated cancer mortality in human populations, particularly excesses of cancer of lung and excesses of cancer of lymphopoietic tissues. To date, this potential risk is unknown in populations from the developing countries. This paper suggests the need to assess cancer risk in populations of developing countries with reported environmental exposure to chicken meat products and eggs; the need to assess risk of cancer in populations inoculated with vaccines from infected chicken embryos; and the need to assess risk of cancer in occupational populations highly exposed to poultry oncogenic viruses, and with potential concurrent exposure to chemical agents known or suspected to be carcinogens.