Details:

Alternative Title:
Environ Health Perspect
Publisher's site:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.10815
Personal Author:
Ball, Wayne ; LeFevre, Sam ; Jarup, Lars ; Beale, Linda
Ball, Wayne ; LeFevre, Sam ; Jarup, Lars ; Beale, Linda Less -
Description:
Background

The standardized incidence ratio (SIR) and SaTScan software are used by the Environmental Epidemiology Program (EEP), Utah Department of Health, to investigate health concerns and exposures in Utah (USA). Recently, the EEP acquired the Rapid Inquiry Facility (RIF). The RIF enables access of additional dimensions of data, identifies potentially exposed populations, and computes disease rates and relative risk statistics for that potentially exposed population.

Objective

In this article we present a comparison of the SIR, SaTScan, and RIF methodologies in an investigation of cancer rates in residents living over contaminated groundwater plumes near Hill Air Force Base (HAFB) in Utah.

Methods

For this study, we used cancer data from the Utah Cancer Registry for cancers of the lung, kidney, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. We used SIR and the RIF to investigate the cancer rate in a defined population within the study area during six consecutive 5-year time intervals (1975–2004). We used SaTScan and the RIF to explore the study area for clusters.

Results

The RIF risk analysis and SIR are mathematically identical. SIR is set up and computed by programming SAS; the RIF risk analysis, on the other hand, is set up through four menu-driven steps. The RIF disease-mapping feature enhanced the interpretation of SaTScan results. We found kidney and lung cancer to be statistically elevated for the potentially exposed population for one and two periods, respectively. SaTScan found two clusters, one outside the potentially exposed population and one that included a portion of that population.

Conclusion

The RIF is an easy-to-use and useful tool that extends the ability of the investigator to conduct analysis of disease rates and interpret the findings.


Subject:
[+]
Environmental Exposure
Epidemiologic Methods
Humans
Incidence
Kidney Neoplasms
Lung Neoplasms
Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin
Research
Risk Assessment
Software

Source:
Environ Health Perspect. 2008; 116(8):1120-1124.
Document Type:
Journal Article
Funding:
1-U38-EH000182/EH/NCEH CDC HHS/United States ; N01-PC-35141/PC/NCI NIH HHS/United States ; U50/CCU822437/PHS HHS/United States
1-U38-EH000182/EH/NCEH CDC HHS/United States ; N01-PC-35141/PC/NCI NIH HHS/United States ; U50/CCU822437/PHS HHS/United States Less -
Place as Subject:
Utah
Collection(s):
CDC Public Access
Main Document Checksum:
[+]
urn:sha256:6126f7623ac96b11916ac83030a48803704bff27ddbfc8dd72e0af9e57e26c08
File Type:

Supporting Files

• 	license.txt	txt
  	ehp0116-001120.nxml	txt
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  	ehp0116-001120f2.jpg	jpeg
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