I always ask new patients what their parents do for a living and what their parents did for a living. This is a key question that is part of our environmental intake.
A recent study shows the link between the parent's exposure and brain tumors in their children.
I run a full environmental test panels to look for benzene, toluene and trichloroethylene levels. Why? Because these chemicals are linked to brain cancer.
Most pediatric brain tumors occur before age five, are typically not genetically based and are a major cause of death among children. I've had two pediatric brain tumor cases due to dad's environmental exposures and fortunately the children survived with environmental medicine protocols.
Researchers in Australia compared parents' occupational exposures to solvents in 306 cases of parents of children up to 14 years old with brain cancer. This was compared to 950 parents with children who did not have brain tumors.
The findings were clear. Fathers who had regular exposure to benzene in the year before their child was conceived were more than twice as likely to have that child develop a brain tumor. Toluene found in inks, paints and petrol chemicals affect sperm cells and damaged DNA is passed to the developing fetus.
Exposure to degreasers, cleaning solutions, paint thinners, paint, pesticides and resins all contribute to an increased risk of brain tumors. Parents who work in the following industries: petro chemicals, car-related jobs, and remodeling/construction have higher risks of their children getting brain tumors. 
