Mortality due to lung, laryngeal and bladder cancer in towns lying in the vicinity of combustion installations.
BACKGROUND
Installations that burn fossil fuels to generate power may represent a health problem due to the toxic substances which they release into the environment.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether there might be excess mortality due to tumors of lung, larynx and bladder in the population residing near Spanish combustion installations included in the European Pollutant Emission Register.


METHODS
Ecologic study designed to model sex-specific standardized mortality ratios for the above three tumors in Spanish towns, over the period 1994-2003. Population exposure to pollution was estimated on the basis of distance from town of residence to pollution source. Using mixed Poisson regression models, we analyzed: risk of dying from cancer in a 5-kilometer zone around installations that commenced operations before 1990; effect of type of fuel used; and risk gradient within a 50-kilometer radius of such installations.


RESULTS
Excess mortality (relative risk, 95% confidence interval) was detected in the vicinity of pre-1990 installations for lung cancer (1.066, 1.041-1.091 in the overall population; 1.084, 1.057-1.111 in men), and laryngeal cancer among men (1.067, 0.992-1.148). Lung cancer displayed excess mortality for all types of fuel used, whereas in laryngeal and bladder cancer, the excess was associated with coal-fired industries. There was a risk gradient effect in the proximity of a number of installations.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results could support the hypothesis of an association between risk of lung, laryngeal and bladder cancer mortality and proximity to Spanish combustion installations.
García-Pérez
Javier
J
Environmental and Cancer Epidemiology Unit, National Center for Epidemiology, Carlos III Institute of Health, C/Sinesio Delgado 6, 28029 Madrid, Spain. jgarcia@isciii.es
Pollán
Marina
M
Boldo
Elena
E
Pérez-Gómez
Beatriz
B
Aragonés
Nuria
N
Lope
Virginia
V
Ramis
Rebeca
R
Vidal
Enrique
E
López-Abente
Gonzalo
G
D003031:Coal; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005579:Fossil Fuels; D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality*; D010578:Petroleum; D016012:Poisson Distribution; D011210:Power Plants; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality*
D003031:Coal; D005579:Fossil Fuels; D010578:Petroleum