RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 A spatial analysis of childhood cancer and industrial air pollution in a metropolitan area of Colombia
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 639773
DO 10.1101/639773
A1 Ana Maria Valbuena-Garcia
A1 Laura Andrea Rodriguez-Villamizar
A1 Claudia Janeth Uribe Pérez
A1 Feisar Enrique Moreno Corzo
A1 Rafael Gustavo Ortiz Martinez
YR 2019
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2019/05/15/639773.abstract
AB Background Air pollutants are considered carcinogenic to humans. In some European countries, an association with childhood cancer in children has been established. This phenomenon has not been addressed in Latin America, despite the spatial variability of air pollutants that may limit the extrapolation of the results to other geographical areas.Objective To conduct a spatial analysis of the relationship between childhood cancer and air pollution from industrial sources in a metropolitan area of Colombia.Methods Incident cases of childhood cancers were obtained from the Population-based Cancer Registry of the Bucaramanga Metropolitan Area (2000-2015). Local and focused cluster tests were used for the detection of spatial clusters and the Poisson multivariable model was used to evaluate the combined effects of spatial variables.Results The Kulldorff’s focused test found a significant spatial cluster (p=0.001) around one industrial agglomerate and the multivariable model results suggests that the distance effect is modified by the directional effect of the wind.Conclusion A spatial cluster of incident cases of childhood cancer occurred in the municipality of Bucaramanga. Our finding supports the hypothesis that childhood cancer might be related with industrial air pollution exposure in a Latin American city.