Risk of respiratory cancer around a sewage plant in Prato, Italy.
In this study, the authors evaluated the risk of respiratory cancer related to environmental pollutants among a population that resided near a sewage plant in Prato, Italy. Subjects included lung cancer deaths (1987-1996) and incident cases of lung and laryngeal cancers (1987-1994) among residents of Prato. The authors used the mortality or incidence rates for the entire population of Prato (by gender and by 5-yr age group) to calculate the expected cases in each census unit. Data were analyzed and adjusted for an index of social deprivation (Stone test). Among males, the excess risk of lung cancer mortality decreased as distance from the plant increased for 2 time periods (1987-1996 [p = .008] and 1990-1996 [p = .030]) and for lung cancer incidence during 1987-1994 (p = .011). Similar results were obtained when sewage plant workers were excluded from the analysis. A similar, but not statistically significant, trend was observed among female incident lung cancer cases, as well as among male incident laryngeal cancer cases. Despite methodological limitations common to geographic studies, the results were consistent with those previously published on mortality excesses for lung cancer among plant workers under study. The role of environmental pollutants as a risk for respiratory cancer must be further clarified with additional epidemiological studies and an environmental monitoring program.
Chellini
Elisabetta
E
Unit of Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology, Center for Study and Prevention of Cancer (CSPO), Firenze, Italy. e.chellini@cspo.it
Cherubini
Manila
M
Chetoni
Lucia
L
Costantini
Adele Seniori
AS
Biggeri
Annibale
A
Vannucchi
Giuseppe
G
D000336:Aerosols / Q000737:chemistry; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012142:Respiratory Tract Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012722:Sewage / Q000032:analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017678:Sex Distribution; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate
D000336:Aerosols; D012722:Sewage