Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The STEP trials

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Cancer Causes & Control
Published in: Cancer Causes & Control 1/2014

Open Access 01-01-2014 | Original paper

Cancer mortality and quantitative oil production in the Amazon region of Ecuador, 1990–2010

Authors: Suresh H. Moolgavkar, Ellen T. Chang, Heather Watson, Edmund C. Lau

Published in: Cancer Causes & Control | Issue 1/2014

Login to get access

Abstract

Purpose

Controversy persists over whether cancer risk is increased in communities surrounding oil fields, especially in the Oriente region of Ecuador. This ecologic study uses quantitative exposure data, updated mortality data, and improved statistical methods to study the impact of oil exploration and production activities on cancer mortality rates in the Oriente.

Methods

Cancer mortality rates in the Oriente in 1990 through 2010 were compared between seven cantons with active oil exploration and production as of 1990 and thirteen cantons with little or no such activities. Poisson regression was used to estimate mortality rate ratios (RRs) adjusted for age and sex. In a two-stage analysis, canton-specific log-RRs were regressed against quantitative estimates of cumulative barrels of oil produced and well-years per canton, adjusting for canton-level demographic and socioeconomic factors.

Results

Overall and site-specific cancer mortality rates were comparable between oil-producing and non-oil-producing cantons. For overall cancer mortality in males and females combined, the RR comparing oil-producing to non-oil-producing cantons was 0.85 [95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.72–1.00]. For leukemia mortality, the corresponding RR was 0.80 (95 % CI 0.57–1.13). Results also revealed no excess of mortality from acute non-lymphocytic, myeloid, or childhood leukemia. Standardized mortality ratios were consistent with RRs. Canton-specific RRs showed no pattern in relation to oil production volume or well-years.

Conclusions

Results from this first ecologic study to incorporate quantitative measures of oil exploration and production showed no association between the extent of these activities and cancer mortality, including from cancers associated with benzene exposure.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Literature
1.
IARC (1989) IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans. Vol 45. Occupational exposures in petroleum refining; crude oil and major petroleum fuels. International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Lyon
2.
Hurtig AK, San Sebastián M (2002) Geographical differences in cancer incidence in the Amazon basin of Ecuador in relation to residence near oil fields. Int J Epidemiol 31(5):1021–1027PubMedCrossRef
3.
Hurtig AK, San Sebastián M (2004) Incidence of childhood leukemia and oil exploitation in the Amazon basin of Ecuador. Int J Occup Environ Health 10(3):245–250PubMed
4.
5.
Arana A, Arellano F (2007) Cancer incidence near oilfields in the Amazon basin of Ecuador revisited. Occup Environ Med 64(7):490PubMedCrossRef
6.
Siemiatycki J, Dewar R, Nadon L, Gerin M, Richardson L, Wacholder S (1987) Associations between several sites of cancer and twelve petroleum-derived liquids. Results from a case-referent study in Montreal. Scand J Work Environ Health 13(6):493–504PubMedCrossRef
7.
INEC (August 1994) Proyecciones de población por provincias, cantones, áreas, sexo y grupos de edad. Período 1990-2000. Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INEC), Quito
8.
INEC (August 2004) Proyecciones de población por provincias, cantones, áreas, sexo y grupos de edad. Periodo 2001-2010. Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INEC), Quito
9.
Petroecuador (various years) Informe Anual 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003. Gerencia de economía y finanzas, planificación corporativa de petroecuador (empresa estatal petroleos del Ecuador), Quito
10.
Petroecuador (various years) Producción de crudo. In: Informe Estadístico 1972–2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010. Gerencia de economía y finanzas, planificación corporativa de petroecuador (empresa estatal petroleos del Ecuador), Quito
11.
Breslow NE, Day NE (1975) Indirect standardization and multiplicative models for rates, with reference to the age adjustment of cancer incidence and relative frequency data. J chronic Dis 28(5–6):289–303PubMedCrossRef
12.
Breslow NE, Day NE (eds) (1987) Statistical methods in cancer research. Vo II, The Design and analysis of cohort studies. IARC Scientific Publications No. 82. International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon
13.
Rothman KJ, Boice JD Jr (1982) Epidemiologic Analysis with a Programmable Calculator, New edn. Epidemiology Resources Inc., Boston, MA
14.
Divine BJ, Hartman CM (2000) Update of a study of crude oil production workers 1946–94. Occup Environ Med 57(6):411–417PubMedCrossRef
15.
Lewis RJ, Schnatter AR, Katz AM, Thompson FS, Murray N, Jorgensen G, Theriault G (2000) Updated mortality among diverse operating segments of a petroleum company. Occup Environ Med 57(9):595–604PubMedCrossRef
16.
Sim M, Glass D, Cui J, Del Monaco A, Giuliano K, Friesen M, Wood E (2007) Health Watch. The Australian Institute of Petroleum Health Surveillance Program. Thirteenth Report. Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, Monash University, Australia
17.
18.
Huebner WW, Wojcik NC, Jorgensen G, Marcella SP, Nicolich MJ (2009) Mortality patterns and trends among 127,266 U.S.-based men in a petroleum company: update 1979-2000. J Occup Environ Med/Am College of Occup Environ Med 51(11):1333–1348. doi:10.​1097/​JOM.​0b013e3181be6c18​ CrossRef
19.
Huebner WW, Wojcik NC, Jorgensen G, Marcella SP, Nicolich MJ (2010) Mortality patterns and trends among 49,705 U.S.-based women in a petroleum company: update 1979-2000. J Occup Environ Med/Am College Occup Environ Med 52(1):99–108. doi:10.​1097/​JOM.​0b013e3181ca0db3​ CrossRef
20.
Atkinson S, Coppock J, Fritschi L, Glass D, Gibbons C, Gray CN, Ikin J, Jolley D, O’Keefe J, Sim M (2001) Lympho-haematopoietic cancer and exposure to benzene in the Australian petroleum industry. Technical report and appendices. Monash University and Deakin University, Australia
21.
Gottlieb MS (1980) Lung cancer and the petroleum industry in Louisiana. Journal of occupational medicine: official publication of the Industrial Medical Association 22(6):384–388
22.
Gottlieb MS, Pickle LW, Blot WJ, Fraumeni JF Jr (1979) Lung cancer in Louisiana: death certificate analysis. J Natl Cancer Inst 63(5):1131–1137PubMed
23.
Sathiakumar N, Delzell E, Cole P, Brill I, Frisch J, Spivey G (1995) A case-control study of leukemia among petroleum workers. J Occup Environ Med/Am College Occup Environ Med 37(11):1269–1277CrossRef
24.
25.
Manock SR, Kelley PM, Hyams KC, Douce R, Smalligan RD, Watts DM, Sharp TW, Casey JL, Gerin JL, Engle R, Alava-Alprecht A, Martinez CM, Bravo NB, Guevara AG, Russell KL, Mendoza W, Vimos C (2000) An outbreak of fulminant hepatitis delta in the Waorani, an indigenous people of the Amazon basin of Ecuador. Am J Trop Med Hyg 63(3–4):209–213PubMed
26.
Weinbaum CM, Williams I, Mast EE, Wang SA, Finelli L, Wasley A, Neitzel SM, Ward JW (2008) Recommendations for identification and public health management of persons with chronic hepatitis B virus infection. MMWR Recommendations and reports : Morbidity and mortality weekly report Recommendations and reports/Centers for Disease Control 57 (RR-8):1–20
27.
Gomez NA, Salvador A, Vargas PE, Zapatier JA, Alvarez J (2004) Seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori among the child population of Ecuador. Rev Gastroenterol Peru: Organo oficial Soc Gastroenterol Peru 24(3):230–233
28.
Tornesello ML, Buonaguro L, Izzo S, Lopez G, Vega X, Maldonado Reyes CF, Buonaguro FM (2008) A pilot study on the distribution of human papillomavirus genotypes and HPV-16 variants in cervical neoplastic lesions from Ecuadorian women. J Med Virol 80(11):1959–1965. doi:10.​1002/​jmv.​21317 PubMedCrossRef
29.
30.
31.
Bosch FX, Burchell AN, Schiffman M, Giuliano AR, de Sanjose S, Bruni L, Tortolero-Luna G, Kjaer SK, Munoz N (2008) Epidemiology and natural history of human papillomavirus infections and type-specific implications in cervical neoplasia. Vaccine 26(Suppl 10):K1–16. doi:10.​1016/​j.​vaccine.​2008.​05.​064 PubMedCrossRef
32.
33.
Yang C, Zhang X (1991) Incidence survey of leukemia in China. Chin Med Sci J chung-kuo i hsueh k’o hsueh tsa chih/Chin Acad Med Sci 6(2):65–70
34.
Gazdek D, Strnad M, Mustajbegovic J, Nemet-Lojan Z (2007) Lymphohematopoietic malignancies and oil exploitation in Koprivnica-Krizevci County, Croatia. Int J Occup Environ Health 13(3):258–267PubMed
35.
San Sebastián M, Hurtig AK (2004) Cancer among indigenous people in the Amazon Basin of Ecuador, 1985–2000, Pan Am J Pub Health 16(5):328–333
36.
Merino C, Aguinaga L, Vallejo F (1997) Correction of underregistration of general mortality. Correo poblacional y de la salud/Centro de Estudios de Poblacion y Paternidad Respon 5(3):15–19
37.
38.
San Sebastián M, Armstrong B, Córdoba JA, Stephens C (2001) Exposures and cancer incidence near oil fields in the Amazon basin of Ecuador. Occup Environ Med 58(8):517–522PubMedCrossRef
39.
Jurek AM, Greenland S, Maldonado G, Church TR (2005) Proper interpretation of non-differential misclassification effects: expectations vs observations. Int J Epidemiol 34(3):680–687. doi:10.​1093/​ije/​dyi060 PubMedCrossRef
40.
Thomas DC (1995) Re: when will nondifferential misclassification of an exposure preserve the direction of a trend?”. Am J Epidemiol 142(7):782–784PubMed
41.
Weinberg CR, Unbach DM, Greenland S (1995) Weinberg et al. reply [Letter]. Am J Epidemiol 142:784
42.
Metadata
Title
Cancer mortality and quantitative oil production in the Amazon region of Ecuador, 1990–2010
Authors
Suresh H. Moolgavkar
Ellen T. Chang
Heather Watson
Edmund C. Lau
Publication date
01-01-2014
Publisher
Springer Netherlands
Published in
Cancer Causes & Control / Issue 1/2014
Print ISSN: 0957-5243
Electronic ISSN: 1573-7225
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-013-0308-8

Other articles of this Issue 1/2014

Cancer Causes & Control 1/2014 Go to the issue

Original paper

Lifestyle factors and health-related quality of life in colorectal cancer survivors

Original paper

Using a composite index of socioeconomic status to investigate health disparities while protecting the confidentiality of cancer registry data

Original paper

Do longer formula feeding and later introduction of solids increase risk for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia?

Erratum

Erratum to: The association of active smoking with multiple cancers: national census-cancer registry cohorts with quantitative bias analysis

Original Paper

CXCR4 pathway associated with family history of melanoma

Original paper

Low-dose aspirin and survival in men with prostate cancer: a study using the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink
Webinar | 19-02-2024 | 17:30 (CET)

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on antibody–drug conjugates in cancer

Watch now

Antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) are novel agents that have shown promise across multiple tumor types. Explore the current landscape of ADCs in breast and lung cancer with our experts, and gain insights into the mechanism of action, key clinical trials data, existing challenges, and future directions.

Dr. Véronique Diéras
Prof. Fabrice Barlesi
Developed by: Springer Medicine
Image Credits