Differences in Exposure to Industrial Carcinogens May Explain Cancer Disparities

Differences in exposure to industrial emissions of carcinogens may help explain cancer disparities, according to research published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Researchers evaluated associations between population characteristics and industrial emissions of 21 known carcinogens using data from the US Environmental Protection Agency.

The data showed that more than 7.4 million individuals lived in areas where 2196 industrial facilities reported more than 11.7 million pounds of carcinogenic air emissions in 2018. The carcinogens with the highest emissions were formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene, 1,3-butadiene, and vinyl chloride.

The highest carcinogenic air emissions were seen in census tracts with:

• More individuals experiencing persistent poverty (odds ratio [OR], 2.42; 95% CI, 1.61-3.65)
• More unemployed individuals (OR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.34-1.65)
• More individuals who had less than a high school education (OR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.26-1.43)
• More individuals living in rented housing units (OR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.18-1.29)
• More African-American individuals (OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.13-1.23).

“These results highlight the influence of socioeconomic factors on living near industrial sources with the highest levels of carcinogenic emissions and underscore the importance of taking an intersectional approach that evaluates population characteristics jointly to elucidate environmental exposure disparities,” the researchers wrote. “Given ongoing concerns about socio-environmental drivers of health inequities, this work offers a timely characterization and is informative for environmental exposure assessments and studies of cancer risk.”

This article originally appeared on Cancer Therapy Advisor