US EPA

8419 

Journal Article 

Cancer mortality in an industrial area of Baltimore 

Matanoski, GM; Landau, E; Tonascia, J; Lazar, C; Elliott, EA; Mcenroe, W; King, K 

1981 

Yes 

Environmental Research
ISSN: 0013-9351
EISSN: 1096-0953 

PESTAB/81/2511 

25 

1 

8-28 

English 

7238470 

10.1016/0013-9351(81)90076-1 

WOS:A1981LS46500002 

is also published as 1358090 Cancer mortality in an industrial area of Baltimore

PESTAB. An excess mortality from lung cancer has been demonstrated among men living in the highly industrialized area of South Baltimore over the period 1966-1974. The death rate is significantly higher than in control tracts in the later years. In the area surrounding a pesticide plant, high levels of arsenic were found in the soil. This area corresponds generally to the area in which a high proportion of lung cancers occurred. No attempt was made to directly correlate arsenic levels to residences of lung cancer deaths. Hospital records did not suggest that the increase in lung cancer was related to a change in diagnostic practices, cell types, or other factors. It is noted, however, that the excess risk appeared to occur primarily in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The relationship of this excess risk to the pesticide plant is questioned; the plant had been in existence on this site since the early 1900s. It is suggested that the sudden increase in risk may be related to the destruction of the old plant in 1952; this demolition could have spread dust diffusely throughout the community. 

ARSENIC; AGED; AIR POLLUTANTS; ANALYSIS; POISONING; FEMALE; HUMAN; INDUSTRY; MALE; MARYLAND; MIDDLE AGE; NEOPLASMS; CHEMICALLY INDUCED; MORTALITY; SMOKING; SOIL POLLUTANTS; TIME FACTORS; URBAN POPULATION; CAUCASOID RACE; NEGROID RACE; MOUTH NEOPLASMS; PANCREATIC NEOPLASMS; LUNG NEOPLASMS; PROSTATIC NEOPLASMS; BREAST NEOPLASMS; UNITED STATES