Geographic Information System (GIS) has been used to assist State Health Department personnel to respond to questions from citizens regarding cancer risk in their community. In Stratford, Connecticut, citizens were concerned about exposure to hazardous waste from the Raymark Superfund site and possible health risks. New and traditional methodologies allowed the CT DPH to utilize existing data to provide a more complete picture of cancer in Stratford, Connecticut.
The use of GIS in the spatial analysis of cancer incidence in Stratford, CT has evolved from a simple review of cancer incidence in the town to one which involves modeling the location of the entire population and creating age-adjusted cancer rate surface models. These varied approaches have provided a great deal of information. Each analysis and methodology builds upon and supports previous work. The result is a comprehensive review of cancer in a community that can be presented visually.
This presentation will focus on the use of GIS and the value of methods to analyze the spatial distribution of cancer that do not rely on political boundaries for the determination of the population at risk.
Learning Objectives: The objectives are: 1) To describe new methodologies for the analysis of the use of readily available data to model the relationship between cancer rates and proximity to hazardous waste sites. 2) To discuss the role of GIS in health studies of hazardous waste sites
Keywords: Geographic Information Systems, Hazardous Waste
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.