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Solid waste and pancreatic cancer: an ecologic study in Florida, USA
G G Schwartz1, H G Skinner, R Duncan
1Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, University of Miami School of Medicine, FL 33101, USA.
International Journal of Epidemiology
|December 5, 1998
Summary
Pancreatic cancer risk may be linked to yard trash, like grass clippings and trimmings, and cigarette smoking. These factors, not just income, show a correlation with cancer incidence in Florida counties.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Epidemiology
- Oncology
- Public Health
Background:
- Modifiable risk factors for pancreatic cancer remain largely unconfirmed, apart from cigarette smoking.
- Ecological associations between pancreatic cancer and various environmental/socioeconomic factors require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the ecologic relationship between pancreatic cancer incidence and cigarette smoking, income, and municipal solid waste collection in Florida counties.
- To identify potential environmental or behavioral factors associated with pancreatic cancer risk.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Florida's cancer registry to obtain county-specific pancreatic cancer incidence rates in White populations.
- Correlated incidence rates with county-level data on median household income, cigarette smoking prevalence, and per capita municipal solid waste collected.
Main Results:
- Pancreatic cancer incidence showed significant positive correlations with income (r=0.35), cigarette smoking (r=0.39), and overall solid waste (r=0.47).
- Yard trash, a component of solid waste, demonstrated a strong correlation (r=0.42) with pancreatic cancer incidence.
- Stepwise regression analysis identified cigarette smoking and yard trash as the only significant predictors in the model.
Conclusions:
- Findings suggest that factors associated with yard trash, potentially insecticides or herbicides, may elevate pancreatic cancer risk.
- This hypothesis aligns with existing research linking insecticide exposure to pancreatic cancer.
- Identifies potential new research directions focusing on environmental exposures, such as pesticides in yard waste, for pancreatic cancer prevention.