DRINKING-WATER CONTAMINATION AND THE INCIDENCE OF LEUKEMIA AND NON-HODGKINS-LYMPHOMA

A study of drinking water contamination and leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) incidence (1979-1987) was conducted in a 75-town study area. Comparing incidence in towns in the highest trichloroethylene ( TCE) stratum (>5 mu g/l to towns without detectable TCE yielded an age -adjusted rate ratio (RR) for total leukemia among females of 1.43 (95 % CI 1.07-1.90). For females under 20 years old, the RR for acute lymp hocytic leukemia was 3.26 (95% CI 1.27-8.15). elevated RRs were observ ed for chronic myelogenous leukemia among females and for chronic lymp hocytic leukemia among males and females. NHL incidence among women wa s also associated with the highest TCE stratum (RR = 1.36; 95% CI 1.08 -1.70). for diffuse large cell NHL and non-Burkitt's high-grade NHL am ong females, the RRs were 1.66 (95% CI 1.07-2.59) and 3.17 (95% CI 1.2 3-8.18), respectively, and 1.59 (95% CI 1.04-2.43) and 1.92 (95% CI 0. 54-6.81), respectively, among males. Perchloroethylene (PCE) was assoc iated with incidence of non-Burkitt's high-grade NHL among females, bu t collinearity with TCE made it difficult to assess relative influence s. The results suggest a link between TCE/PCE and leukemia/NHL inciden ce. However, the conclusions are limited by potential misclassificatio n of exposure due to lack of individual information on long-term resid ence, water consumption, and inhalation of volatilized compounds.