title: Brain cancer associated with environmental lead exposure: evidence from implementation of a National Petrol-Lead Phase-Out Program (PLPOP) in Taiwan between 1979 and 2007.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In 1981, a Petrol-Lead Phase-Out Program (PLPOP) was launched in Taiwan for the abatement of environmental lead emissions. The present study was intended to examine whether the high Petrol-Lead Emission Areas (PLEA) would result in an increase in the incidence rate of brain cancer based on a national data bank.
  
  
  METHODS
  The national brain cancer incidence data was obtained from the Taiwan National Cancer Registry. Age standardized incidence rates were calculated based on the 2000 WHO world standard population, and gasoline consumption data was obtained from the Bureau of Energy. The differences in the trend tests for age-standardized incidence rates of brain cancer between high, median, low, and small PLEA were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A significant increase was found from small to high PLEA in age-standardized incidence rates of brain cancer. By taking six possible confounders into account, the age-standardized incidence rates for brain cancer were highly correlated with the median and high PLEA by reference to the small PLEA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  After being adjusted for a number of relevant confounders, it could be concluded that high PLEA might result in an increase in the incidence rate of brain cancer resulting from high lead exposures.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, National Yang Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan; Division of Environmental Health and Occupational Medicine, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli County, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wei-Te
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Division of Environmental Health and Occupational Medicine, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli County, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yu-Jen
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Division of Environmental Health and Occupational Medicine, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli County, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Saou-Hsing
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Liou
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chun-Yuh
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Biostatistics, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Kuang-Fu
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Safety and Health, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Perng-Jy
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.affiliation: Division of Environmental Health and Occupational Medicine, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli County, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Biostatistics, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan. Electronic address: tnwu@mail.cmu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Trong-Neng
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000097:blood; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D058735:Environmental Policy; D005742:Gasoline; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007854:Lead / Q000097:blood*; D059392:Petroleum Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D005742:Gasoline; D007854:Lead