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Probable cause of my myeloma?

by K_Shash on Wed Apr 15, 2015 12:35 pm

Hello,

I have been wondering what may have been the cause(s) of my myeloma, particularly after learning that my first boss recently passed away with another type of cancer.

The 'risk factors' I was exposed to (besides the common cancer-causing agents in smog and various foods):

  1. The chemicals used during auto repair and maintenance. I was fairly careless with the chemicals, like the brake fluid, antifreeze, etc.
  2. The pesticides and herbicides used in yard maintenance (I was extra careful with the Roundup and other such chemicals around our yards) and on golf courses (I was often the first golfer out on the course, every day, for almost two years in a private club, and I used to follow the golf course maintenance crew spraying the tee boxes and the greens. Whatever they used had to be caustic since my cotton pants and long shirt sleeves were always frayed and had 'acid marks' like holes.)
  3. The high power and high frequency EMF from the power electronics played a role in other cases, too.
K_Shash



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K_Shash
Name: K_Shash
Who do you know with myeloma?: Self
When were you/they diagnosed?: November 2014
Age at diagnosis: 67

Re: Probable cause of my myeloma?

by gardengirl on Wed Apr 15, 2015 7:41 pm

I was thinking the same thing all day today as I spent most of it outside in my gardens. I passed on the Roundup and pulled weeds by hand. Also, we started using a lawn service a few years ago as the weeds were tough on my kids bare feet. Curious as to how many others have lawn services.

gardengirl
Name: gardengirl
Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
When were you/they diagnosed?: Nov. 2013
Age at diagnosis: 47

Re: Probable cause of my myeloma?

by heddleandhook on Thu Apr 16, 2015 12:37 pm

I try to go for a 2-mile walk around the neighborhood every day and come back home very crabby about the pesticides I see – residue of, smell, and see dying foliage as evidence of ...

heddleandhook
Name: heddleandhook
Who do you know with myeloma?: self
When were you/they diagnosed?: Jan 2015
Age at diagnosis: 68

Re: Probable cause of my myeloma?

by Kevin J on Thu Apr 16, 2015 5:39 pm

The topic of causes for multiple myeloma has come up a few times in the Beacon forums. I wrote a column on the topic a couple years or so back,

Kevin Jones, "ME vs. M​M: How Did I Get Here?", The Myeloma Beacon, Sep 20, 2012

and a lot of people that responded to the column noted they had exposure to chemicals, sol­vents, etc. There also seems to be mounting evidence for a chemical connection from some of the in­formation I've come across.

Personally, the cause is not much more than a curiosity to me anymore - it would probably just cause me to second guess choices I made that cannot be changed. However, it would be nice if more was known on the causes so that, in the future, preventative measures could be taken so the people don't have to go through what we are.

Kevin J
Name: Kevin J
Who do you know with myeloma?: myself
When were you/they diagnosed?: Jan 2011
Age at diagnosis: 52

Re: Probable cause of my myeloma?

by deb b on Fri Jul 31, 2015 4:16 am

We unfortunately are the generation that will provide the answers to that question. We have been exposed to more pesticides and herbicides for longer periods than any other generation.

I was diagnosed at 59 years of age. I was raised in a farming community, where all water came from wells or surface water that had runoff from fields that were regularly sprayed with herbicides and pesticides. Add to that, regular "fogging" of city streets to control mosquitoes, in response to frequent outbreaks of equine encephalitis. All were measures to improve life, and they did. Add to that my exposure to solvents that my husband used during the spraying of lacquer while building cabinets for a living. Despite the use of excellent masks and venting, we always felt the effects of the fumes. Then there are the residual pesticides on our foods, that has allowed us the luxury to eat any fruit or vegetable at any time of year.

I don't doubt that sooner or later someone will take blood or tissue samples from myeloma patients and calculate the quantities and their intensities and find certain chemicals that have contributed to the disease, but until then all I can do is try to minimize my exposure to them.

deb b


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