| ObjectiveThis study was aimed to evaluate comprehensively and thoroughly the effects of environmental low-dose exposure to crocidolite on people's health and the society so as to provide the epidemiological evidence for cancer prevention and environment protection in this local area.MethodThe mortality data of cancer between 1994 and 2003 in a environmental crocidolite-entaminated area was obtained from hospital medical records, Dayao Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Dayao Public Health Bureau and cohort study. Three indexes, mortality, potential years of life lost (PYLL) and disability adjusted life years(DALY), were used to measure and assess the death, health losses and social burden of cancer in this area.ResultsIn the environmental crocidolite-entaminated area, lung cancer was the prime cause of death in all kinds of cancers between 1994 and 2003, followed by liver cancer, mesothelioma, stomach cancer and colorectal cancer, and their motality was 10.15/105, 9.04/105, 8.48/105, 3.96/105, 3.55/105 respectively. The five leading cancers in male were lung cancer, liver cancer, mesothelioma, stomach cancer and colorectal cancer while those in female were mesothelioma, lung cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer and pancreatic cancer. The mortality of mainly cancer in male and female increased with age growing except that of breast cancer in female. There is a trend to rise for mortality of mainly cancer, which arrived at top in 2000-2001, and then declined afterward.PYLL was used to measure the burden of cancer. Results showed that liver cancer, 1 ung cancer, m esothelioma, 1 eukemia and s tomach c ancer w ere leading cancers of potential years of life lost in male, accounting for 61.44% of PYLL, while in female they were leukemia, mesothelioma, breast cancer,lung cancer and liver cancer, accounting for 43.95%. As for the age distribution of PYLL, middle age group(aged from 15 to 44 years and 45 to 59 years)was worse than other agegroups. AYLL of Leukemia was the highest among all type of cancer(36.6 person-years), followed by breast cancer(21.8 person-years), liver cancer(14.3 person-years), mesothelioma(13.7 person-years) and lung cancer(ll.l person-years).During the ten years from 1994 to 2003,the tendence of PYLL rate of lung cancer, mesothelioma either male or female was similar to that of motality, but PYLL rate of liver cancer was increasing all along.The years of life lost due to premature death(YLLs) were calculated. Results showed that for all cases of cancer, the YLLs in male were 8598.0 person-years and 5066.3 person-years in female. The types of leading cancers of YLLs were same to those of PYLL, but their ranks were different. The profiles of age distribution of YLLs were similar in both sexes, higher in the middle age group (aged from 15 to 44 years and 45 to 59 years) and lower in other age groups. The indirect economic loss in cancers showed a trend to getting growing. The indirect economic loss resulting from lung cancer, liver cancer, mesothelioma, leukemia and stomach cancer was relatively great, mostly in the middle age group.ConclusionLung cancer, liver cancer ,mesothelioma, leukemia and breast cancer were the major cancers that showed an important impact on people's health and premature mortality in the environmental crocidolite-entaminated area. The impact of cancer mortality was more severe in those aged over 45 years. Social burden of cancer was the greatest in persons aged from 15 to 59 years. Policies and plans should be worked out for the protection of environment and the prevention of cancer. |
PDF Full Text Request