Cancer mortality and the method of chlorination of public drinking water: St. Louis City and St. Louis County, Missouri

Journal Article · Mon Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1986 · J. Environ. Pathol., Toxicol. Oncol.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6840248

Marienfeld, C J; Collins, M; Wright, H; Reddy, R; Shoop, G; Rust, P

St. Louis City and St. Louis County, Missouri share the same public drinking water source, namely the Missouri River. The all cancer and most organ specific cancer mortality rates have been consistently and considerably higher for St. Louis City than for St. Louis County for the period 1960 through 1972. A change in the St. Louis County water treatment process, which included increasing the chlorine dosage and delaying the addition of ammonia to form chloramines until just prior to distribution, was instituted in 1955. St. Louis City has, by contrast, continued the lower chlorine level and early ammoniation. Trend analysis using the period 1960-67 and 1972-76 showed higher percentage as well as net cancer mortality rate per million increases for large bowel, liver and bladder cancers for St. Louis County. An apparent association between a probable increase in trihalomethane production in the St. Louis County water since 1955 and an increase in these specific cancer rates which exceed the increases in the St. Louis City rates appears to have been shown. This does not imply causality but is in general agreement with other studies which have examined water chlorination and cancer mortality.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Missouri, Columbia
• OSTI ID: 6840248
• Journal Information: J. Environ. Pathol., Toxicol. Oncol.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Environ. Pathol., Toxicol. Oncol.; (United States) Vol. 1-2; ISSN JEPOE
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550900 -- Pathology
560300* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AMINES
AMMONIA
ANIMALS
BLADDER
BODY
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHLORAMINES
CHLORINATION
CHLORINE
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
DISEASES
ELEMENTS
EPIDEMIOLOGY
FEDERAL REGION VII
FREONS
GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT
GLANDS
HALOGENATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
HALOGENATION
HALOGENS
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
HYDRIDES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INTESTINES
LARGE INTESTINE
LIVER
MAMMALS
MAN
MISSOURI
MORTALITY
NEOPLASMS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN HYDRIDES
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
PRIMATES
TOXICITY
URINARY TRACT
USA
VERTEBRATES
WATER SUPPLY