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"Neighbors of incineration sites or leaking underground storage tanks are at a significantly increased risk for developing bladder cancer ...These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary " http://www. medpagetoday. com/HematologyOncology/OtherCancers/tb/1081 AUA: Storage Tank and Incinerator Pollution Linked to Bladder Cancer By Neil Osterweil, Senior Associate Editor, MedPage Today Published: May 23, 2005 Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD, Emeritus Professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. SAN ANTONIO, May 23-Neighbors of incineration sites or leaking underground storage tanks are at a significantly increased risk for developing bladder cancer, University of Michigan researchers reported here. Action Points • Advise patients of the potential risks of living near a polluted site. • Pay special attention to hematuria occurring in patients who live in areas where there is the potential for high levels of pollution from storage tanks or incinerators. • This study was published as an abstract and presented at a conference either as an oral or poster presentation. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary as they have not yet been reviewed and published in a peer-reviewed publication. In a study of cancer records on nearly 178,000 Michigan residents, those who lived near polluted sites were at greater risk for having bladder cancer, Rabii Madi, M.D., and colleagues reported over the weekend at the American Urological Association meeting here. For all patients except children under 15 years, the risk for cancer of the bladder and urinary tract increased proportionally with the density of the pollution in their area. Minorities and people in low- income households were also at greater risk. The results suggested that ground water contamination or environmental pollution from other sources is putting neighbors of polluted sites at significant risk for developing urinary tract cancers and perhaps other malignancies. "Specific pollution sources and aggregate pollution density can increase the risk of bladder cancer incidence, particularly in older individuals," Dr. Madi and colleagues wrote in a poster presentation. "Regions with large numbers of [leaking underground storage tanks] and incineration sites, as well as high pollution density, should be studied to determine whether disproportionate minority or low income populations reside in these communities and whether more aggressive tumors develop under prolonged pollutant exposure," they added. Other studies have indicated a link between exposure to chemicals and bladder cancer, but the source of many types of chemical exposures is unclear. In an attempt to spot patterns of exposure, the investigators collected data on cancer incidence in Michigan in five years: 1987, 1990, 1993, 1995, and 2000. Patients were grouped by age, and the records were aggregated into zip codes. They then merged the data with information from databases on natural resources and environmental lawsuits. Two pollution sources leaking underground storage tanks (e.g., for gasoline, diesel, or oil) and incineration sites correlated positively with increased bladder cancer risk. The authors did not find a relationship between proximity to landfills and cancer risk, however. Living close to an incineration site carried an OR of 1.5 (p = 0.01) The odds ratio for living in proximity to leaky storage tanks was 1.2 (p = 0.05). The authors also found that for every age group except children younger than 15 years old, the increasing incidence of bladder cancer directly correlated with increasing pollution density. Race and income were also significant predictors of bladder cancer, with minorities and people with lower incomes being at greater risk, Dr. Madi at al reported. Urinary bladder cancer is the fourth most common cancer in men and the 10th in women. It is most commonly diagnosed as painless hematuria, which can be gross and present throughout micturition. Primary source: 100th annual meeting of the American Urological Association, abstract 182.