Chapter 16 - Relationships Between Heavy Metal Distribution and Cancer Mortality Rates in the Campania Region, Italy

Abstract

We report geochemical and epidemiological data as maps representing the patterns of toxic metal concentrations and some, potentially, related pathologies in the Campania region of Italy. The comparison of a particular element distribution with specific pathologies, at regional scale, has been carried out taking into account previous epidemiological research, that demonstrated the existence of relationships between anomalous concentrations of some metals and incidence of some pathologies. This study shows that some types of cancer are found in Campania, in areas characterized by relatively high concentration of heavy metals, though, in epidemiological study, correlation does not automatically imply causation. For instance, Zn–Cd-rich areas overlap with areas of high prostate-cancer mortality; bladder and pancreatic cancer are correlated with Pb–Sb-rich areas, whereas, bronchial–tracheal–lung cancer is correlated with As-, Cd– and Pb-rich areas.