Few case-control studies of adult cancers have used a Geographic Information System (GIS) to assign historical environmental exposures to women’s home residences. One small case-control study on Long Island that did (O’Leary et al., 2000) chose a sample of women who lived in their homes for 18 years or more prior to diagnosis, and assigned exposures to only that address. In contrast, the Cape Cod Breast Cancer and Environment Study (Brody et al., 1996) is unique in that all of the Cape Cod addresses where the 2100 study participants lived after 1948 (when organochloring pesticides came into use) and before the time of diagnosis for cases and reference year for controls (1988-1995) will be assigned relative exposure scores. Challenges that arise include estimating exposure for every address and categorizing women into high or low exposure if they reside at one or more address with high exposure and one or more low exposure addresses. We will discuss how we applied newly developed GIS technology to assign historical exposure from pesticides used for gypsy moth and other tree pests, cranberry bogs, other agriculture land, and wetlands sprayed for mosquito control. In addition, the Cape Cod Study interview asked questions about in-home and occupational exposure to pesticides, and we will also discuss plans to integrate the GIS and interview data to estimate a woman’s overall exposure to pesticides. See www.SilentSpring.org
Learning Objectives: 1. Compare GIS exposure assessment in the Cape Cod and Long Island breast cancer studies. 2. Identify innovative methods for assessment of historical pesticide exposures from wide-area application. 3. Describe historical pesticide exposures for Cape Cod residents since 1948.
Keywords: Pesticides, Geographic Information Systems
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.