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Environmental Exposure and Health

Edited By: M.M. ARAL, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA, C.A. Brebbia, Wessex Institute of Technology, UK, M.L. MASLIA, ATSDR/CDC, USA and T. SINKS, ATSDR/CDC, USA

The Problem With Epidemiology Data In Assessing Environmental Health Impacts Of Toxic Sites

Price

Free (open access)

Transaction

WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment

Volume

85

Pages

9

Published

2005

Size

244 kb

Paper DOI

10.2495/EEH050481

Copyright

WIT Press

Author(s)

B. L. Allen

Abstract

In the U.S., states regularly collect cancer data for statistical and analysis purposes. Ideally, this publicly funded information should be available by law to citizen groups and qualified researchers. Using the example of the Louisiana Tumor Registry (LTR), my research will show that scientists have been denied full access to cancer data thus preventing important environmental health assessments. Louisiana is a state with a large and geographically concentrated petro-chemical industry that many health scientists suspect may have some relationship with elevated cancer rates. Citizens have taken the LTR to court and have waged a lengthy legal battle for the data. Analysis of the documents accumulated during the legal battle reveal important, but ambiguous rules and regulations governing cancer data nationally. My analysis will show that this ambiguity is problematic both scientifically and from a health policy perspective particularly when assessing the relationship between human exposure and the proximity to toxic sites. Keywords: cancer registries, public understanding of science, Louisiana Tumor Registry, protected health information, Cancer Alley, epidemiology, public records access. 1 Introduction Questions about the effects that exposure to toxic chemicals have on the human body resonate in our environmentally-conscious culture. But the truth is, we know very little about the effects that many chemical pollutants have on the body, especially in low dosages and over time. With a few exceptions, we have no idea how they impact human health, either individually or synergistically except in extreme conditions where one is literally poisoned by them.

Keywords

cancer registries, public understanding of science, Louisiana Tumor Registry, protected health information, Cancer Alley, epidemiology, public records access.



Related Book

Environmental Exposure and Health

Edited By: M.M. ARAL, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA, C.A. Brebbia, Wessex Institute of Technology, UK, M.L. MASLIA, ATSDR/CDC, USA and T. SINKS, ATSDR/CDC, USA

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Environmental Exposure and Health

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Stochastic Air Quality Analysis

Population Exposure To Atmospheric Pollutants: The Influence Of Urban Structure

Comparison Of Fine Particulate Matter And Ozone Levels In Zip Code Areas Of New York City With Different Child Asthma Burdens

Outdoor Measurements Of Airborne Emission Of Staphylococci From A Broiler Barn And Its Predictability By Dispersion Models

Relating Air Quality And Environmental Public Health Tracking Data

Standard Guide For Building Indoor Dispersion Analysis, Modeling And Health Effect Assessment

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity As A Result Of Exposure To Heterogeneous Air Pollutants

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