Using birth‐registration data, a case‐control study was done to investigate the possible associations of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with birth characteristics and maternal reproductive history. The data included cases born and diagnosed in Minnesota since 1969. Matched analyses were conducted using 337 cases and 1336 birth year‐matched controls. There was a statistically significant increased odds of ALL for births to older (> 35 years) mothers (odds ratio (OR) = 2.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.28, 3.58), older fathers (OR = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.14, 2.30), mothers with at least a high school education (OR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.05, 2.48), and larger intervals (> 5 years) between the birth of the proband and the preceding sibling (OR = 1.86, 95% CI = 1.12, 3.09). The increased odds of ALL for birth by Caesarean section approached significance (OR = 1.42, P = 0.06). No overall association was found for: gender, race, paternal education, fetal‐loss history, birth order, prenatal care history, pregnancy complications, inducement of labor, multiple birth, gestational age, or birth weight. Age at diagnosis was an important effect modifier of some analyses. For cases diagnosed before age 2 years, there was a 2.7‐fold increased odds of ALL if the last pregnancy had resulted in a fetal loss (P = 0.03). For cases diagnosed before age 4 years, birth weight greater than 3800 g was associated with a significant 2.05‐fold increased odds of ALL. These data strengthen the hypothesis that prenatal events may play a causative role in childhood ALL, particularly in those cases diagnosed at a younger age.

The trends in mortality from aortic aneurysms in the United States from 1951 through 1981 were studied. Annual age-specific and age-adjusted mortality for aortic aneurysms were calculated for white males, white females, nonwhite males, and nonwhite females. For all four groups, a constant increase in age-adjusted mortality was noted for the period 1951 to 1968 (an average annual increase of 17% for white males, 12% for white females, 14% for nonwhite males, and 15% for nonwhite females), plateauing in 1968, with a slight decline noted after 1968. The increase corresponded to an increase in the total number of U.S. aortic aneurysm deaths from about 2500 to approximately 14,000. The decline was most notable for dissecting aneurysms. Analysis of the age-specific rates by birth cohort suggests that mortality is increasing with each subsequent cohort. Analysis of specific aneurysm types (dissecting, thoracic, abdominal, and not otherwise specified) suggests that abdominal ones are most common. These data are reviewed in the context of existing knowledge of aortic aneurysms. Further studies to validate these findings and to develop hypotheses for the etiology of aortic aneurysms are needed.

PPE usage rates by farmers on Midwestern farms need to be increased. The desire of the individual farmer to reduce risk of personal injury or exposure should be targeted. The most effective venue will be local agricultural extension services.

Agricultural work is the most prevalent type of employment in the world. In the United States only a few are engaged in creating food and fiber for many. Agriculture includes farming, ranching, fishing, and forestry, and together they carry significant risk for the development of injury or illness. There are numerous specialpopulation issues related to agriculture. Farmers are old and growing older, many workers are children, and migrant and seasonal help, often foreign born, make up a large percentage of the workforce. It has been only relatively recently that concerns of agricultural safety and health have become a major research focus in the United States.