Taylor Rooney, Lissa Soares, Tesleem Babalola, Alex Kensington, Jennie Williams, Jaymie R Meliker
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly occurring cancer in the United States, with higher incidence rates among Black populations. Groundwater concentrations of natural radionuclides uranium and radium have seldom been investigated in relation to CRC despite their known carcinogenicity. We investigate spatial patterns of CRC by race, and in relation to groundwater concentrations of uranium and radium, testing the hypothesis that uranium and radium in groundwater might differentially contribute to incident CRC in Black and White populations in counties of Georgia, USA. Black populations showed a higher incidence of CRC than White populations; the median incident rate difference was 9.23 cases per 100,000 (95% CI: 2.14, 19.40). Spatial cluster analysis showed high incidence clusters of CRC in similar regions for Black and White populations. Linear regression indicated there are, on average, 1-2 additional cases of colorectal cancer in counties with higher levels of radium in their groundwater, irrespective of race. Uranium was not associated with CRC. This ecologic study suggests that radium in groundwater may be linked with increased incidence of CRC, although it did not explain higher CRC incidence rates in Black populations. Further studies are needed to verify this association given the inherent limitations in the ecologic study design and the crude exposure assessment.
ToxicsChemical Engineering-Chemical Health and Safety
CiteScore
4.50
自引率
10.90%
发文量
681
审稿时长
6 weeks
期刊介绍:
The Journal accepts papers describing work that furthers our understanding of the exposure, effects, and risks of chemicals and materials in humans and the natural environment as well as approaches to assess and/or manage the toxicological and ecotoxicological risks of chemicals and materials. The journal covers a wide range of toxic substances, including metals, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, biocides, nanomaterials, and polymers such as micro- and mesoplastics. Toxics accepts papers covering:
The occurrence, transport, and fate of chemicals and materials in different systems (e.g., food, air, water, soil);
Exposure of humans and the environment to toxic chemicals and materials as well as modelling and experimental approaches for characterizing the exposure in, e.g., water, air, soil, food, and consumer products;
Uptake, metabolism, and effects of chemicals and materials in a wide range of systems including in-vitro toxicological assays, aquatic and terrestrial organisms and ecosystems, model mammalian systems, and humans;
Approaches to assess the risks of chemicals and materials to humans and the environment;
Methodologies to eliminate or reduce the exposure of humans and the environment to toxic chemicals and materials.