Risk factors and causes of CML

CML, like other cancers, isn’t infectious and can’t be passed on to other people. It isn’t caused by an inherited faulty gene so other members of your family can’t develop CML just because you have it.

There are very few known risk factors that might increase a person’s risk of developing CML. And for most people with CML, it isn’t clear why it developed.

The main factor that is known about is radiation. Exposure to very high radiation levels (such as accidental exposure following a nuclear accident like Chernobyl) is known to increase the risk of developing CML. But very few people in the UK are exposed to radiation levels high enough to increase their risk of developing CML. For most people with CML there is no obvious link to radiation exposure.

In recent years there has been publicity about an increase in leukaemia in people living close to nuclear power plants. Research is still underway to see if there is any definite link between these factors, but as yet there is no evidence of this.

Research also hasn’t found any links between exposure to electromagnetic fields, living near high-voltage electricity cables, or household radon and the risk of adults developing CML.