Morbidity and soil levels of cadmium

Residents of Shipham Village, Somerset, England, are exposed to high soil levels of cadmium. Their health was assessed with respect to cadmium exposure, using routinely available morbidity data. Hospital Activity Analysis data were used to calculate standardized admission ratios for diagnostic groups of morbidity associated with cadmium exposure. A small but statistically significant risk for carcinoma of the ovary was demonstrated. Scrutiny of case records confirmed this finding but emphasized that the risk is unlikely to be explained by exposure to cadmium. Further reassurance about this possible risk was obtained from a review of 25 years of Central Cancer Registry data. The value of HAA data could be improved by address coding of data with postcodes to enable rapid identification of small geographical populations, and by record linkage to permit estimates of duration of exposure.