Arsenic and chromium topsoil levels and cancer mortality in Spain

Abstract

Spatio-temporal cancer mortality studies in Spain have revealed patterns for some tumours which display a distribution that is similar across the sexes and persists over time. Such characteristics would be common to tumours that shared risk factors, including the chemical soil composition. The objective of the present study is to assess the association between levels of chromium and arsenic in soil and the cancer mortality. This is an ecological cancer mortality study at municipal level, covering 861,440 cancer deaths in 7917 Spanish mainland towns from 1999 to 2008. Chromium and arsenic topsoil levels (partial extraction) were determined by ICP-MS at 13,317 sampling points. To estimate the effect of these concentrations on mortality, we fitted Besag, York and Mollié models, which included, as explanatory variables, each town’s chromium and arsenic soil levels, estimated by kriging. In addition, we also fitted geostatistical-spatial models including sample locations and town centroids (non-aligned data), using the integrated nested Laplace approximation (INLA) and stochastic partial differential equations (SPDE). All results were adjusted for socio-demographic variables and proximity to industrial emissions. The results showed a statistical association in men and women alike, between arsenic soil levels and mortality due to cancers of the stomach, pancreas, lung and brain and non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (NHL). Among men, an association was observed with cancers of the prostate, buccal cavity and pharynx, oesophagus, colorectal and kidney. Chromium topsoil levels were associated with mortality among women alone, in cancers of the upper gastrointestinal tract, breast and NHL. Our results suggest that chronic exposure arising from low levels of arsenic and chromium in topsoil could be a potential risk factor for developing cancer.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11356-016-6806-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Association between heavy metal and metalloid levels in topsoil and cancer mortality in Spain

“…Cancers that displayed RRs which were less than 1 and were statistically significant for factor F4, in both sexes, were those of buccal cavity and pharynx, oesophagus, stomach, colorectal, pancreas, lung, prostate, kidney, brain and NHL. The converse of these results would support the possible role of topsoil As in cancer, as previously reported elsewhere (Nuñez et al 2016). …”

“…A detailed description of the data of mortality and taken soil samples can be found in a previously published study (Nuñez et al 2016). Briefly, mortality data (observed and expected cases) for each of the 8077 (7917 mainland) Spanish towns were drawn from the records of the National Statistics Institute (NSI) for the study period (1999–2008) and computed for 27 types of malignant tumours (see Supplementary data, Table S1) with a total of 861,440 deaths due to the tumours analysed.…”

Low-level arsenic exposure from drinking water is associated with prostate cancer in Iowa

“…Several epidemiologic studies of populations in Taiwan, Australia, Europe, Chile or the US reported increasing mortality or incidence of prostate cancer with arsenic exposure (Bardach et al, 2015; Brown et al, 2002; Bulka et al, 2016; Chen and Wang, 1990; Chen et al, 1988; Garcia-Esquinas et al, 2013; Gunduz et al, 2015; Hinwood et al, 1999; Lewis et al, 1999; Nunez et al, 2016; Rivara et al, 1997; Wu et al, 1989; Yang et al, 2008). Some measured arsenic levels in urine (Garcia-Esquinas et al, 2013) or levels in top soil (Nunez et al, 2016), but the majority focused on drinking water as source of arsenic exposure. Of these, most evaluated the association of high-level arsenic exposure and prostate cancer and all observed a positive association.…”

Poisonings with heavy metals and neoplasms - possible correlations

“…The Cr concentration of soil is correlated with mortality of women who have upper gastro-intestinal cancer (GI). Long term exposure to low levels of As and Cr in the plant soil may be a potential risk factor in the appearance of cancer (Núñez et al, 2016). Between 2005 and 2010, the levels of As in the soil were significantly correlated with the rate of mortality by gastric, colon, kidney nose-pharynx and lungs cancer.…”