Staten Island Breast Cancer Research Initiative: Length of residence on Staten Island, puberty, and breast cancer mortality risk with proximity to Richmond County, New York active and archived EPA Superfund sites

Staten Island, NY (SI) is downwind from the largest petrochemical industry in the world, 40 EPA Superfund sites, (2 National Priority List [NPL], 9 Active and 29 Archived) and for more than 50 years harbored the largest open dump, Fresh Kills Landfill. Using breast cancer incidence and mortality data from New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOHMH) respectively, it has been determined that SI has among the highest female breast cancer age-adjusted incidence and the highest age-adjusted mortality rate in the metropolitan region. Researchers at the Center for Environmental Science developed and validated a methodology for obtaining data from a combination of newspaper obituaries and death certificates. Death certificate data for breast cancer deaths were obtained for 1980-1990 from NYCDOHMH as well as, a set of female controls. Life histories were compiled through obituary interviews for both cases and controls for the entire Island. We divided the Island into 12 zip codes and 53 neighborhoods and using Geographic Information System (GIS), 40 Superfund sites were mapped.  Preliminary analysis using logistic regression demonstrated a statistically significant increase in the risk for breast cancer mortality is associated: [1] when residing on SI during puberty (p<0.001), [2] with length of residence on SI (p< 0.001) and [3] with proximity to active superfund sites (p<0.01).