Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #97682

D. B. Gerstle, MS, MA, JD¹, A. M. Levine, PhD¹, Robert Christopher Silich, MD², Alan Benimoff, PhD¹, Michael Kress, PhD¹, Elena C. McCoy, PhD¹, Michelle Gerstle Dresser, MPH, CHES¹, Ann Lubrano, PhD³, Karen S. Schwartz, MD⁴, Amy Ganci, MS¹, and A. Torino¹. (1) Center for Environmental Science, College of Staten Island/CUNY, 2800 Victory Blvd., Room 310 Bldg 6S, Staten Island, NY 10314, 718-982-3922, gerstle@mail.csi.cuny.edu, (2) Surgery/Division of Plastic Surgery, Cornell University Medical School/NY Hospital, 525 East 68th Street, New York, NY 10021, (3) Othmer Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies, Polytechnic University, 5 Metrotech Center, Brooklyn, NY 11201, (4) Endocrinology, North Shore University Hospital, 300 Community Drive, Manhasset, NY 11030

Staten Island, NY (SI) is downwind from the largest petrochemical industry in the world, home of Brookfield landfill (EPA Superfund site) and home to Fresh Kills landfill, the world's largest municipal dump. Using lung cancer incidence data from the New York State Health Department (NYSDOH) and lung cancer mortality data from the New York City Department of Health and Hygiene (NYCDOHH) it has been determined that SI has the highest age-adjusted lung cancer incidence and mortality rates in the metropolitan region. Our study investigates the association between lung cancer, length of residence on SI and occupation. Researchers at the Center for Environmental Science developed and validated a methodology for obtaining data from the combination of newspaper obituaries and death certificates. Death certificate data for the years 1980 through 1990 for lung cancer (ICD 162) were obtained from NYCDOHH as well as a set of controls. Controls were randomly matched by age (+ 3 year) and year of death (+ 2 years). Life histories were complied through in-person, surrogate and obituary interviews for both cases (n = 481) and controls (n= 487). Preliminary analysis using logistic regression demonstrated a significantly increased risk of lung cancer death associated with smoking (p< 0.001), length of residence on SI (p < 0.05) and occupation (p = 0.03). Intra-Island differences were also examined (cases = 2046). Comparison to the other neighborhoods on SI demonstrated that north shore rates were significantly higher than the rest of SI (p < 0.02). All data are mapped using GIS.

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to identify lung cancer risk factors for urban populations due to environmental perturbations.

Keywords: Environmental Exposures, Cancer

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.