Cancer mortality in towns in the vicinity of incinerators and installations for the recovery or disposal of hazardous waste (original) (raw)

Risk of Cancer Mortality in Spanish Towns Lying in the Vicinity of Pollutant Industries

ISRN Oncology, 2012

Spatial aggregation of different industrial facilities leads to simultaneous release of pollutant emissions. Our objective is to study cancer mortality risk associated with residence in the vicinity of pollutant factories. We used data on industries for year 2007 (3458 facilities). For the 8,098 Spanish towns, we defined a factor with 4 levels based on the number of factories in a radius of 2.5 km from the centroid of each town (industrial factor). We also used data of land cover use to approximate the percentage of municipal land used for industrial activities in each Spanish town (land-used variable). For both variables we fitted Poisson models with random terms to account for spatial variation. We estimated risk trends related with increasing number of factories or percentage of land used for industrial activities. We studied 33 cancer causes. For the industrial factor, 11 causes showed trend associated with increasing factor level. For the land use variable, 8 causes showed statistically significant risks. Almost all tumours related to the digestive system and the respiratory system showed increased risks. Thus mortality by these tumours could be associated to residence in towns nearby industrial areas with positive trend linked to increasing levels of industrial activity.

Cancer Mortality and Deprivation in the Proximity of Polluting Industrial Facilities in an Industrial Region of Spain

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Residential proximity to industrial facilities that release pollutants is a source of exposure to a high number of toxics, many of them known or suspected carcinogens. The objective of the study was to analyze the association between lung, larynx, bladder, and kidney cancer mortality and deprivation in areas proximate to polluting industrial facilities in Cadiz, a highly industrialized province in Spain. An ecological study at census tract level was carried out to estimate the mortality rates associated with deprivation and proximity to polluting industrial facilities (1–5 km) using the Besag–York–Mollié model. The results show a negative social gradient for lung and larynx cancers in males and greater risk of lung cancer was observed in the least deprived areas in females. These associations were found regardless the distance to industrial facilities. Increasing excess risk (relative risk; 95% credibility interval) of lung cancer for males (1.09; 1.02–1.16 at 5 km vs 1.24; 1.08–1.4...

Modeling Air Quality and Cancer Incidences in Proximity to Hazardous Waste and Incineration Treatment Areas

2019

This study analyzes the impact on human exposure and the air quality in the vicinity to hazardous waste and incineration treatment areas. Such an industry produces pollutant emissions that can be dangerous for the human health and the environment. Thus, various techniques have been studied in order to model the relationship between the proximity to these industrial plants, cancer incidences, and the air quality. On the one hand, logistic regressions were carried out by having the distance as a categorical variable. On the other hand, variable where GAM models were performed. The air quality parameters PM10 and NO2 are higher in proximity to industrial areas according to both techniques, whereas O3 happens to be lower. Regarding the incidences of cancer, logistic regressions show that the incidences are higher in proximity to certain industrial plants. However, there is no clear conclusion according to the GAM models.

Methodological approaches to the study of cancer risk in the vicinity of pollution sources: the experience of a population-based case–control study of childhood cancer

International Journal of Health Geographics, 2019

Background: Environmental exposures are related to the risk of some types of cancer, and children are the most vulnerable group of people. This study seeks to present the methodological approaches used in the papers of our group about risk of childhood cancers in the vicinity of pollution sources (industrial and urban sites). A populationbased case-control study of incident childhood cancers in Spain and their relationship with residential proximity to industrial and urban areas was designed. Two methodological approaches using mixed multiple unconditional logistic regression models to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were developed: (a) "near vs. far" analysis, where possible excess risks of cancers in children living near ("near") versus those living far ("far") from industrial and urban areas were assessed; and (b) "risk gradient" analysis, where the risk gradient in the vicinity of industries was assessed. For each one of the two approaches, three strategies of analysis were implemented: "joint", "stratified", and "individualized" analysis. Incident cases were obtained from the Spanish Registry of Childhood Cancer (between 1996 and 2011). Results: Applying this methodology, associations between proximity (≤ 2 km) to specific industrial and urban zones and risk (OR; 95% CI) of leukemias (1.31; 1.04-1.65 for industrial areas, and 1.28; 1.00-1.53 for urban areas), neuroblastoma (2.12; 1.18-3.83 for both industrial and urban areas), and renal (2.02; 1.16-3.52 for industrial areas) and bone (4.02; 1.73-9.34 for urban areas) tumors have been suggested. Conclusions: The two methodological approaches were used as a very useful and flexible tool to analyze the excess risk of childhood cancers in the vicinity of industrial and urban areas, which can be extrapolated and generalized to other cancers and chronic diseases, and adapted to other types of pollution sources.

Industrial pollution and mortality from digestive cancers at the small area level in a Spanish industrialized province

Geospatial Health

The province of Cadiz, Spain, is a highly industrialized area with numerous registered industrial plants, which has led to major concern regarding the possible influence of these facilities on the high rate of cancer-related mortality observed. Our objective was to evaluate the association between digestive cancer mortality and proximity to industrial installations in the province of Cadiz over the period 1992-2014 and to analyse this risk according to different categories of carcinogenic substances. An ecological study at the census tract level was carried out. Mortality due to digestive cancer (involving the oral cavity, pharynx, oesophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, colon and rectum) was analysed. Using the spatial Besag, York and Mollié (BYM) approach, we assessed the relative risk of dying from these cancers for people living between 500 m and 5 km from industrial installations. The models were adjusted to account for socioeconomic deprivation. We detected a signif...

Case–control study on cancer risk associated to residence in the neighbourhood of a petrochemical plant

European Journal of Epidemiology, 2000

The aim of the present study is to investigate cancer mortality and residence in the neighbourhood of the petrochemical plant located in Brindisi, South-eastern Italy. Cases were all subjects resident in Brindisi and in three neighbouring municipalities who died in the study area in 1996-1997 from lung cancer, pleural neoplasm, bladder cancer and lymphohematopoietic malignancies. Controls were subjects resident in the same area and deceased in 1996-1997 for any cause except those listed for the cases. Next of kin's of all study subjects were visited by an interviewer who collected anamnestic information. The main residence of each subject, defined as the longest held residence with exclusion of the last 10 years, was reported on a digitalized map of the study area (MapInfo). The study included 144 cases and 176 controls; response rate was 98%. Residence within 2 km from the centre of the petrochemical plant was associated with a 3 fold increase of the Odds ratios (OR) for lung cancer, which did not reach statistical significance. Living close to the petrochemical plant was associated with moderate increases of OR for bladder cancer and lymphohematopoietic neoplasms which did not reach statistical significance. In conclusion the present study has shown moderate increases in risk for lung, bladder and lymphohematopoietic neoplasms in the population resident within 2 km from the centre of the petrochemical plant in Brindisi. These figures were confirmed after adjusting for smoking habit, occupation and school level. Random misclassification may have somehow resulted in risk underestimation.

Colorectal cancer mortality and industrial pollution in Spain

BMC Public Health, 2012

Background: Records kept as a result of the implementation of Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) and the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) constitute a public inventory of industries, created by the European Commission, which is a valuable resource for monitoring industrial pollution. Our objective is to ascertain whether there might be excess colorectal cancer mortality among populations residing in the vicinity of Spanish industrial installations that are governed by the IPPC Directive and E-PRTR Regulation and report their emissions to air.

Effect of a chemical manufacturing plant on community cancer rates

BMC public health, 2005

We conducted a retrospective study to determine if potential past exposure to dioxin had resulted in increased incidence of cancer in people living near a former manufacturing plant in New South Wales, Australia. During operation, from 1928 to 1970, by-products of the manufacturing process, including dioxin and other chemical waste, were dumped into wetlands and mangroves, discharged into a nearby bay and used to reclaim land along the foreshore, leaving a legacy of significant dioxin contamination. We selected 20 Census Collector Districts within 1.5 kilometres of the former manufacturing plant as the study area. We obtained data on all cases of cancer and deaths from cancer in New South Wales from 1972 to 2001. We also compared rates for some cancer types that have been associated with dioxin exposure. Based on a person's residential address at time of cancer diagnosis, or at time of death due to cancer, various geo-coding software and processes were used to determine which co...