Environmental hazards and rates of female breast cancer mortality in Texas

Relationships between median family income, female employment in agricultur e and manufacturing, agricultural pesticide usage, and industrial carcinoge nic wastes and rates of female breast cancer mortality were examined for 25 4 Texas counties. Data for most of the variables were averaged for the peri od 1980 to 1990. Levels of carcinogenic wastes reported by the Toxics Relea se Inventory were summed for the years 1988 to 1994. Female employment in a griculture and manufacturing, acres treated with agricultural pesticides, a nd volume of carcinogens were sources oi potential environmental exposure. Mortality rates were based on the average number of deaths attributable to female breast cancer for the period 1986 to 1994 and the 1990 size of popul ation subgroups in Texas. They were age and race adjusted and standardized per 100,000 population, using the direct method. Bivariate correlations wer e computed, and ordinary least squares regression was conducted. Findings i ndicated that rates of female breast cancer mortality were greatest in coun ties where larger numbers of women were employed in agriculture and manufac turing jobs and where volume of accumulated Toxic Release Inventory carcino gen wastes were greatest. Urban county status and median family income were important mitigators of mortality rates only in counties with no carcinoge nic wastes. Pesticide use played a negligible role in the analysis.