 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
|
| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Joan E Rothlein, PhD, Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology, Oregon Health & Sciences University, 3181 Sam Jackson Park Rd.L606, Portland, OR 97201 and Donald F Austin, MD, MPH, Dept of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Oregon Health Sciences University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd, Mailcode CB669, Portland, OR 97201-3098, 503-494-8257, austind@ohsu.edu.
It has been suggested that environmental contaminants that are estrogen disruptors affect the risk of breast cancer among women. We examined three years of incidence breast cancer data from the Oregon Cancer Registry in conjunction with environmental contaminant data. The latter include GIS data on pesticide use, USGS water quality assessment, sediment quality information, EPA toxic release inventory data, DEQ environmental cleanup information, and others, including one that identifies micro and macro level watersheds statewide. We examined the observed proportion and numbers of estrogen receptor positive (ER+) cancers in areas of interest, and compared them to the age-adjusted expected, based on the age-specific statewide proportions. We found a significant deficit of estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancers, but not ER- cancers, in an area adjacent to a heavily contaminated waterway. We conducted the initial analysis using only two years of data, and verified the finding using data from the third year. Theoretically, environmental estrogen disruptors could increase or decrease cancer risk, depending upon the type of estrogen disruption.
Learning Objectives:
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.