Cancer clustering around point sources of pollution: Assessment by a case-control methodology

Abstract

The case-control method is proposed to test clustering of cancers near point sources of air pollution. The techniques for applying the method are described and applied to two sources of pollution: a coke oven associated with a steel mill, and a large uranium tailing dump. In neither situation was a significant excess of the cancer of interest found when compared to control cancers, though a slight excess of lung cancer was found near the coke ovens.