Health Consultation: Analysis of Lung Cancer Incidence near Chromium-Contaminated Sites in New Jersey (a/k/a Hudson County Chromium Sites) Jersey City, Hudson County, Ner Jersey

摘要

In response to community requests, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS) evaluated the relationship between historic exposure to chromium from chromium ore processing residue (COPR) sites and the incidence of lung cancer in Jersey City (Hudson County), New Jersey over a 25 year period. Hudson County was a major center for chromium ore processing and manufacturing. Nearly three million tons of COPR was produced, and much of was used as fill material in construction of residential and commercial sites in the 1950s and 1960s. More than 160 COPR disposal sites have been identified in Hudson County, 136 sites in Jersey City alone. COPR contained high concentrations of total chromium, with small and varying proportions being hexavalent chromium (Cr+6), the most toxic form. Cr+6 is known to cause lung cancer in humans. This investigation of lung cancer incidence included the population residing in Jersey City from 1979 through 2003. Annual population estimates were derived from U.S. Census Bureau data. The New Jersey State Cancer Registry in the NJDHSS was used to determine the number of lung cancer cases occurring in the Jersey City population. A total of 3,249 malignant incident lung cancer cases (2,040 males and 1,209 females) were included in this investigation. Lung cancer cases were aggregated by U.S. Census Bureau census block groups, based on the cases residence at the time of diagnosis.