Abstract
Spatio-temporal cancer mortality studies in Spain have revealed patterns for some tumours which display a distribution that is similar across the sexes and persists over time. Such characteristics would be common to tumours that shared risk factors, including the chemical soil composition. The objective of the present study is to assess the association between levels of chromium and arsenic in soil and the cancer mortality. This is an ecological cancer mortality study at municipal level, covering 861,440 cancer deaths in 7917 Spanish mainland towns from 1999 to 2008. Chromium and arsenic topsoil levels (partial extraction) were determined by ICP-MS at 13,317 sampling points. To estimate the effect of these concentrations on mortality, we fitted Besag, York and Mollié models, which included, as explanatory variables, each town’s chromium and arsenic soil levels, estimated by kriging. In addition, we also fitted geostatistical-spatial models including sample locations and town centroids (non-aligned data), using the integrated nested Laplace approximation (INLA) and stochastic partial differential equations (SPDE). All results were adjusted for socio-demographic variables and proximity to industrial emissions. The results showed a statistical association in men and women alike, between arsenic soil levels and mortality due to cancers of the stomach, pancreas, lung and brain and non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (NHL). Among men, an association was observed with cancers of the prostate, buccal cavity and pharynx, oesophagus, colorectal and kidney. Chromium topsoil levels were associated with mortality among women alone, in cancers of the upper gastrointestinal tract, breast and NHL. Our results suggest that chronic exposure arising from low levels of arsenic and chromium in topsoil could be a potential risk factor for developing cancer.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11356-016-6806-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Spatio-temporal cancer mortality studies and various cancer atlases in Spain (López-Abente et al 2007, 2014) have revealed geographical patterns for some tumours, which display the following characteristics: (1) there are spatial distribution patterns that are similar in men and women, (2) there are patterns that persist over time, and (3) the determinants of these patterns are very difficult to ascertain
Such characteristics would be common to tumours that shared risk factors which, among other things, included the chemical composition of the soil, since this generally remains stable over time, can contain carcinogens such as heavy metals and affects both sexes indiscriminately
The results of this study suggest that low bioavailable arsenic levels in soil might give rise to a population exposure that was statistically associated with higher mortality due to cancers of the stomach, pancreas, lung and brain and non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (NHL), among men and women alike
Summary
Spatio-temporal cancer mortality studies and various cancer atlases in Spain (López-Abente et al 2007, 2014) have revealed geographical patterns for some tumours, which display the following characteristics: (1) there are spatial distribution patterns that are similar in men and women, (2) there are patterns that persist over time, and (3) the determinants of these patterns are very difficult to ascertain. Such characteristics would be common to tumours that shared risk factors which, among other things, included the chemical composition of the soil, since this generally remains stable over time, can contain carcinogens such as heavy metals and affects both sexes indiscriminately. The map reveals that many of these elements display a singular spatial pattern which, in some cases, visually resembles the distribution of mortality due to certain tumours
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
