Higher incidence of cancer for those near benzene release sites

An increased risk of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) has been observed in recent years among individuals with occupational exposure to benzene, a chemical carcinogen linked to blood cancers. A study released in the journal Cancer set out to determine the risk of NHL for those living near benzene release sites.

To investigate the association between NHL incidence and distance to release sites, Catherine Bulka, MPH, Dr Christopher Flowers and colleagues in the Lymphoma Program at Emory University linked and geocoded data on benzene release sites in Georgia from 1988 to 1998. They explained that they used publicly available data from “the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), census tract level population statistics and NHL incidence from the Georgia Comprehensive Cancer Registry (GCCR) from 1999 to 2008.” The group examined the associations between new cases of lymphoma and the locations of facilities - such as petroleum refineries and manufacturing plants - that released benzene into the surrounding air or water.

The metro-Atlanta region, Augusta and Savannah were found to have the highest incidences of NHL even when controlling for population size as well as for age, sex and race demographics of the local region. The incidence of NHL was significantly greater than expected surrounding benzene release sites located in the metro-Atlanta area and surrounding one benzene release site in Savannah. The researchers said, “for every mile the average distance to benzene release sites increased, there was an expected 0.31% decrease in the risk of NHL”. However, they also noted, “Clusters of NHL were spatially associated with benzene release sites located in metropolitan areas, but not with release sites in other areas of the state.”

Bulka said the team’s study is “the first to examine the relationship between passive benzene exposure and the incidence of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the state population level.” The team acknowledges that additional studies are needed “to examine spatial patterns of NHL incidence in other geographic regions and interactions between benzene and other exposures,” but Bulka hopes the current research “will inform readers of the potential risks of living near facilities that release carcinogens into the air, groundwater or soil.”