Staten Island Breast Cancer Research Initiative: Environment with relation to puberty and length of residence on Staten Island

Staten Island, NY (SI) is downwind from the largest petrochemical industry in the world, Brookfield (EPA Superfund site) and for more than 50 years harbored the largest open dump, Fresh Kills Landfill. Using breast cancer incidence and mortality data from New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOHMH) respectively, it has been determined that SI has among the highest female breast cancer age-adjusted incidence and the highest age-adjusted mortality rates in the metropolitan region. In the past we associated length of residence on SI, occupation and socio-economic factors with breast cancer risk. Researchers at the Center for Environmental Science developed and validated a methodology for obtaining data from a combination of newspaper obituaries and death certificates. Death certificate data for breast cancer deaths (ICD 174, N= 4130) were obtained for 1980-1990 from NYCDOHMH as well as a set of female controls (N=1291). Life histories were compiled through, obituary interviews for both cases and controls. Preliminary analysis using logistic regression demonstrated: a statistically significant increase in the risk for breast cancers associated when residing on SI during puberty (OR=4.24, p<0.001) and length of residence on SI (OR = 1.1, p< 0.001). All data were mapped using Geographic Information Systems (GIS).