Specialist and experts say that different forms of leukemia have different causes. Known and suspected causes include:

• Natural and Artificial ionizing radiation

• Viruses such as Human T-lymphotropic virus

• Some chemicals and some petrochemicals, notably Benzene

• Alkylating chemotherapy agents used for previous cancers

• Maternal-fetal transmission (very rare)

• Hair dye

• Genetic predisposition – all cancers, including leukemia, appear to occur as a consequence of gene mutations. It is likely that the causes of the first mutations are different from subsequent mechanisms which lead to later mutations.

• Down Syndrome – expert say that because of certain chromosomal abnormalities individuals with Down syndrome may have a higher risk

• Electromagnetic energy – this is a suspected cause and there is currently not enough evidence to show that extremely low frequency (ELF) that currently exist may cause leukemia. The international Agency for Research on Cancer has not confirmed this and states that this study is unreliable.

• Use of tobacco is associated with a small increase in the risk of developing acute myeloid leukemia in adults.