Environmental hazards and rates of female breast cancer mortality in Texas

Relationships between median family income, female employment in agriculture and manufacturing, agricultural pesticide usage, and industrial carcinogenic wastes and rates of female breast cancer mortality were examined for 254 Texas counties. Data for most of the variables were averaged for the period 1980 to 1990. Levels of carcinogenic wastes reported by the Toxics Release Inventory were summed for the years 1988 to 1994. Female employment in agriculture and manufacturing, acres treated with agricultural pesticides, and volume of carcinogens were sources of potential environmental exposure. Mortality rates were based on the average number of deaths attributable to female breast cancer for the period 1986 to 1994 and the 1990 size of population subgroups in Texas. They were age and race adjusted and standardized per 100,000 population, using the direct method. Bivariate correlations were computed, and ordinary least squares regression was conducted. Findings indicated that rates of female breast cancer mortality were greatest in counties where larger numbers of women were employed in agriculture and manufacturing jobs and where volume of accumulated Toxic Release Inventory carcinogen wastes were greatest. Urban county status and median family income were important mitigators of mortality rates only in counties with no carcinogenic wastes. Pesticide use played a negligible role in the analysis.