Objective To compare the cancer mortality in residents living in the polluted and control surface water areas along the Shaying River, and to reveal the relationship between environmental pollution and incidence of malignant tumors.
Methods On the basis of previous water quality monitoring data of S county, a zone with better water quality was selected as control area, compared to a contaminated zone with poor water quality. Cause of death in the selected areas in a three-year period (2007-2009) was investigated according to the third national retrospective survey on cause of death.
Results The standardized cancer-related mortality in the polluted area was 178.7 per 100 000 persons, higher than that of the control area, 109.5 per 100 000 persons (χ2=30.906, P=0.000). The male cancer incidence is higher than the female for both areas. Significantly higher mortalities of lung, liver, colorectal cancer were found in the polluted area than in the control area (χ2=15.645, P=0.000; χ2=10.582, P=0.001; χ2=4.321, P=0.038, respectively). In different age groups, a remarkably higher mortality only appeared in the group over 55 years old (χ2=38.992, P=0.000).
Conclusion The pollution of Shaying River may elevate the cancer mortality in nearby residents and the group over 55 years old in the polluted area has a significantly higher cancer mortality rate than those in the control area.
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