[Cause-specific mortality in an area of Campania with numerous waste disposal sites].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate cause-specific mortality in an area of Campania region, in the surroundings of Naples, characterized by many toxic waste dumping grounds sites and by widespread burning of urban wastes.


METHODS
The study area was characterized by examining the spatial distribution of waste disposal sites and toxic waste dumping grounds, using a geographic information system (GIS). Mortality (1986-2000) was studied in the three municipalities of Giugliano in Campania, Qualiano and Villaricca, encompassing a population of about 150,000 inhabitants. Mortality rates of the population resident in the Campania region were used in order to generate expected figures.


RESULTS
Causes of death of a priori interest where those previously associated to residence in the neighbourhood of (toxic) waste sites, including lung cancer, bladder cancer, leukemia and liver cancer.


RESULTS
Overall 39 waste sites, 27 of which characterized by the likely presence of toxic wastes, were identified in the area of interest. A good agreement was found between two independent surveys of the Regional Environmental Protection Agency and of the environmentalist association Legambiente. Cancer mortality was significantly increased, with special reference to malignant neoplasm of lung, pleura, larynx, bladder, liver and brain. Circulatory diseases were also significantly in excess and diabetes showed some increases.


CONCLUSIONS
Mortality statistics provide preliminary evidence of the disease load in the area. Mapping waste dumping grounds provides information for defining high risk areas. Improvements in exposure assessment together with the use of a range of health data (hospital discharge cards, malformation notifications, observations of general practitioners) will contribute to second generation studies aimed at inferring causal relationships.
Altavista
Pierluigi
P
Sezione di tossicologia e scienze biomediche, ENEA (Casaccia), Roma.
Belli
Stefano
S
Bianchi
Fabrizio
F
Binazzi
Alessandra
A
Comba
Pietro
P
Del Giudice
Raffaele
R
Fazzo
Lucia
L
Felli
Angelo
A
Mastrantonio
Marina
M
Menegozzo
Massimo
M
Musmeci
Loredana
L
Pizzuti
Renato
R
Savarese
Anna
A
Trinca
Stefania
S
Uccelli
Raffaella
R
D002423:Cause of Death; D006256:Hazardous Waste / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D017745:Incineration; D007220:Industrial Waste / Q000009:adverse effects*; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality
D006256:Hazardous Waste; D007220:Industrial Waste