Kidney Cancer Risk Associated with Historic Groundwater Trichloroethylene Contamination.

Angeline S Andrew,Karen M Craver,Xun Shi,Meifang Li,Jonathan M Petali,Judy R Rees

doi:10.3390/ijerph19020618

Angeline S Andrew, Karen M Craver + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19020618

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Abstract

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a well-documented kidney carcinogen based on a substantial body of evidence including mechanistic and animal studies, as well as reports from occupational settings. However, the cancer risks for those in residential exposures such as TCE contamination in groundwater are much less clear. The objective of this study was to perform a detailed spatio-temporal analysis of estimated residential TCE exposure in New Hampshire, US. We identified kidney cancer cases (n = 292) and age-, gender-matched controls (n = 448) from the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health System and queried a commercial financial database for address histories. We used publically available data on TCE levels in groundwater measured at contaminated sites in New Hampshire and then modeled the spatial dispersion and temporal decay. We overlaid geospatial residential locations of cases and controls with yearly maps of estimated TCE levels to estimate median exposures over the 5, 10, and 15-year epochs before diagnosis. The 50th–75th percentile of estimated residential exposure over a 15-year period was associated with increased kidney cancer risk (adjusted Odds Ratio (OR) 1.78 95% CI 1.05–3.03), compared to <50th percentile. This finding supports the need for groundwater monitoring of TCE contaminated sites to identify potential public health risks.

Highlights

Academic Editor: Shang-Lien LoThe majority of primary kidney cancers (80–90%) are clear cell renal cell carcinomas (RCC), originating in the proximal tubular cells [1]
Obesity is a risk factor, with risk correlated with increasing body mass index (BMI)
Several chemical contaminants found in ambient air and certain drinking water sources have been identified as renal carcinogens, according to the US National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer [4,5]

Summary

Introduction

Academic Editor: Shang-Lien LoThe majority of primary kidney cancers (80–90%) are clear cell renal cell carcinomas (RCC), originating in the proximal tubular cells [1]. 2–3% of RCC cases are hereditary [1], making this disease well suited for identifying associations with environmental or lifestyle-related risk factors. Several chemical contaminants found in ambient air and certain drinking water sources have been identified as renal carcinogens, according to the US National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer [4,5]. Trichloroethylene (TCE) is one such environmental contaminant that is a recognized renal carcinogen. Human and animal studies have associated TCE exposure to renal cancer as well as non-cancer outcomes such as neurotoxicity, altered immune function, and changes in urinary markers of renal function (as reviewed by the Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry [7]). Google Employees Face Health Risks from Superfund Site’s Toxic Vapors; The Bay Citizen: San Francisco, CA, USA, 2013.

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