Cancer mortality and environmental exposure to DDE in the United States

To explore the role of DDE, the major and most persistent DDT derivative, i n cancer etiology, we examined the association of the 1968 adipose DDE leve ls of population samples from 22 U.S. states with age-adjusted mortality ra tes between 1975 and 1994 for multiple myeloma; non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL); and cancer of the breast, corpus uteri, liver, and pancreas. Separate anal yses were conducted by gender and race. Covariates in the regression models included average per-capita income, percent metropolitan residents, and th e population density. Liver cancer mortality increased significantly with a dipose DDE levels in both sexes among whites, but not among African America ns. No association was observed for pancreatic cancer and multiple myeloma. Breast cancer mortality was inversely correlated with adipose DDE levels a mong both white and African American women. Significant inverse correlation s were also observed for uterine cancer among white women, whereas no assoc iation was observed for African Americans and for NHL among whites (men and women) and African American women. The results for pancreatic cancer, mult iple myeloma, NHL, breast cancer, and uterine cancer did not support the hy pothesis of an association with past adipose levels of the DDT derivative D DE. The multivariate analysis confirmed most findings. The association betw een liver cancer and DDE observed among whites, particularly in view of the occurrence of hepatic neoplasms in laboratory animals exposed to DDT, warr ants further investigation.