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Proximity to mining industry and cancer mortality
Pablo Fernández-Navarro1, Javier García-Pérez, Rebeca Ramis
1Cancer and Environmental Epidemiology Unit, National Center for Epidemiology, Carlos III Institute of Health, Avda. Monforte de Lemos, 5, 28029 Madrid, Spain. pfernandezn@isciii.es
The Science of the Total Environment
|August 1, 2012
Summary
Mining proximity is linked to increased cancer deaths in Spain. Specific cancers like colorectal, lung, bladder, and leukemia showed higher mortality rates near mining operations, depending on the extraction method.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Epidemiology
- Toxicology
Background:
- Mining operations release toxic substances, potentially impacting nearby populations' health.
- Regulatory frameworks like the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive and the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register Regulation govern mining activities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate excess cancer mortality in populations near Spanish mining industries.
- To determine if cancer risk varies based on the type of mining extraction method used.
Main Methods:
- An ecological study analyzed municipal mortality data for 32 cancer types (1997-2006).
- Exposure was estimated by proximity (5km and 50km zones) to mining pollution sources.
- Bayesian conditional autoregressive models and Integrated Nested Laplace Approximations were employed for risk analysis.
Main Results:
- Excess mortality observed for colorectal, lung, bladder, and leukemia cancers near mining sites.
- Lung and colorectal cancer risks were associated with opencast coal mining.
- Bladder and leukemia risks linked to other opencast mining.
- Thyroid, gallbladder, liver, brain, stomach, and myeloma cancers showed associations with specific underground or opencast mining types.
Conclusions:
- Proximity to Spanish mining industries is associated with increased mortality from digestive, respiratory, hematologic, and thyroid cancers.
- The identified cancer risks are dependent on the specific type of mining activity and extraction method.
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