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Shannon Brown, PhD, Health Policy and Management, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, 624 N. Broadway, Hampton House 513, Baltimore, MD 21205, 443-287-8523, sbrown@jhsph.edu, Amir Sapkota, Environmental Health Science, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, Thomas Burke, PhD, MPH, Health Policy and Management/Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute, Johns Hopkins University, 624 N. Broadway, Hampton House Rm 484, Baltimore, MD 21205, and Timothy J. Buckley, PhD, Division of Environmental Health Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205.
Maryland has the unfortunate distinction of being ranked number three among U.S. states for estimated cancer risk due to air toxic ambient concentrations. Exposure to environmental carcinogens is of particular concern in Baltimore City where the cancer mortality rate (255 per 100,000) is significantly higher than that for the State of Maryland (191.4 per 100,000) while Maryland’s cancer mortality rate is significantly higher than that of the rest of the United States (172.8 per 100,000). Moreover, Baltimore City ranked as number one for “added cancer deaths attributable to air toxics” with an estimated risk of 970 in a million excess cancer deaths. Human exposure to cancer causing agents in the environment is believed to be a contributing factor to the observed higher urban rates. The goal of this project was to provide a framework for understanding and preventing environmentally related cancers in the state of Maryland. This was accomplished by: 1) developing a framework for assessing both exposure and cancer mortality and incidence rates; 2) identifying sources, mapping exposures, and identifying communities at risk; 3) providing hypothesis generating data for prevention and intervention strategies. By evaluating both the geographical distributions of environmental carcinogens and cancer mortality and incidence rates for the state of Maryland, insights can be gained regarding at risk populations and effective prevention strategies.
Learning Objectives: Goals of the study were
Keywords: Air Pollutants, Cancer
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.