Cancer Incidence Trend in the Hebei Spirit Oil Spill Area, from 1999 to 2014: An Ecological Study

Abstract

The Hebei Spirit oil spill (HSOS) occurred in the Republic of Korea on 7 December 2007. We aimed to describe the cancer incidence trend in Taean County before and after the oil spill. Five major cancers and leukemia were analyzed. Cancer incidence data were obtained from the Korean National Cancer Center. We compared the standardized incidence rates in Taean with those observed nationwide and selected three coastal areas. Joinpoint regression analysis was used to examine the trends in the average annual percent change and perform comparisons. The incidence rate of prostate cancer increased from 2007 to 2009 at an annual average of 39.3% (95% confidence interval (CI): −25.9, 161.8), 13.5% (95% CI: 11.7, 15.4), and 15.6% (95% CI: 11.9, 19.5), respectively, in Taean, nationwide, and in the coastal areas. The incidence of leukemia among women increased at an annual average of 9.5% (95% CI: −26.6, 63.4) in Taean and 0.6% (95% CI: 0.2, 0.9) nationwide; the rate decreased by 1.9% (95% CI: −12.8, 10.4) in the coastal areas. The trends between Taean County and the coastal areas differed only for prostate cancer (p = 0.0004). The incidence of prostate cancer among Taean County residents has increased since the HSOS.

Cancer Incidence and Mortality among Petroleum Industry Workers and Residents Living in Oil Producing Communities: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Choi et al [ 67 ] conducted a cross-sectional study of 63042 participants to evaluate prostate cancer risk in relation to oil spillage in Taean County. They reported elevated incidence rate ratio (IRR = 1.5; 95% CI: 0.8, 2.7) for the high exposed area compared to the low exposed area (IRR= 0.8; 95% CI: 0.5, 1.4).…”

Health effect research on Hebei Spirit Oil Spill (HEROS) in Korea: a cohort profile

“…A study of the cancer incidence trends in Taean County, which was based on Korean Cancer registry data, showed that from 2007 to 2009, the annual incidence rate of prostate cancer appeared to increase at a more rapid rate than the rates reported nationwide and in three other coastal areas of Korea (Taean: 39.3%, 95% CI −25.9 to 161.8; nationwide: 13.5%, 95% CI 11.7 to 15.4; three coastal areas: 15.6%, 95% CI 11.9 to 19.5) 44…”

“…All residents of Taean, including those in this study cohort, have been monitored for morbidity, mortality and cancer incidence44 using data provided by the National Health Information Database (NHID) and Korea National Cancer Incidence Database (KNCID).…”

“…The updated publication summary of the HEROS study is illustrated in figure 3. Exposure to spilled oil has been shown to correlate with respiratory symptoms48 and allergic disease48 in children and with levels of oxidative damage,19 49 hematologic parameters,50 eating habits51 and cancer incidence44 in adults in Taean. Additionally, the burden of disease (BOD)52 has been measured and a response contingency planning for oil spills53 was provided.…”

Erratum: Choi, K.-H., et al. Cancer Incidence Trend in the Hebei Spirit Oil Spill Area, from 1999 to 2014: An Ecological Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 1006

“…Due to an error during production, the legend presented in Figure 2 in the Results section of the published paper [ 1 ] were incorrect. A corrected version of this figure is provided below.…”