Evaluation Of The Methods Used To Determine Potential Health Risks Associated With Organic Contaminants In The Great Lakes Basin

United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Environmental Research
Laboratory
Duluth MN 55804
Research and Development
EPA-600/S3-84-002 Jan. 1984
oEPA Project Summary
Evaluation of the Methods Used
to Determine Potential Health
Risks Associated with Organic
Contaminants in the Great Lakes
Basin

L. M. Schuman, C. P. Straub, J. S. Mandel, S. Norsted, and J. M. Sprafka
The results of a pilot study to
establish whether epidemiological
investigations should be conducted on
commercial fishermen to form an
association between PCB exposure and
health suggest that "lake-bordering"
populations (i.e., white populations)
experience higher rates of mortality due
to stomach and esophageal cancers
than "non-lake bordering" counties.
This trend is consistent when the
potential confounding factor of large
urban centers is removed.
This Project Summary was developed
by EPA's Environmental Research Lab-
oratory. Duluth. MN, to announce key
findings of the research project that is
fully documented in a separate report of
the same title (see Project Report
ordering information at back).

Introduction
A pilot study was initiated to determine
the feasibility of an epidemiologic inves-
tigation among commercial fishermen, to
assess the association between exposure
to PCBs and health. Commercial fisher-
men were selected as a potential high-
risk population because of their fish con-
sumption habits and the availability of
licensing records from which a cohort
could be extracted. The purpose of this
pilot study was to evaluate three research
protocols to determine their effectiveness
as epidemiologic tools and the appropri-
ateness of commercial fishermen as a
cohort.
Results and Conclusions

The pilot study accomplished the
following-

1. The addresses of all study subjects in
Protocols I and II were verified. The
format of Protocol III was structured
such that the verification of subject
location was not applicable.

2. The response rates for Protocols I and
II were similar (72% and 76% of the
total cohort respectively).

3. The response rate for Protocol III was
44% after two mailings.

4. Protocols I and II were more effective
in producing:

(a) answers in the correct format,

(b) the highest response rates, and

5. The differences between Protocols I
and II regarding accuracy of
information are slight. Therefore,
Protocol I appears to be the most
efficient and cost-effective of the
three protocols tested.

6. The fish consumption patterns
among this cohort, obtained by
compiling the information from

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Protocols I and
following trends1
II, indicate the
(a) a good distribution offish con-
sumption per month among the
cohort,

(b) a good distribution of the
numbed of years fish have been
consumed with this frequency
among the cohort,

(d) the preferred consumption of
several target fish species from
the Great Lakes among this
cohort.

These results suggest that commercial
fishermen were appropriate as a study
cohort and that Protocol I would be the
most effective and cost-efficient method
of epidemiological ascertainment.

Additional Findings
An analysis of the morbidity and
mortality patterns of the Great Lakes
populations was conducted. State vital
statistics regarding county fetal, neonatal,
and infant death rates and congenital
anomaly rates were examined for
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana,
Michigan, and Ohio for every fifth year
from 1950 to 1975 and for the year 1977.
Furthermore, an evaluation of the county
site, race, sex, and age-adjusted cancer
mortality rates from the National Cancer
Institute's publication, U.S. Cancer Mor-
tality: 1950-1969 was conducted.
These analyses generated the follow-
ing conclusions:

1. There were no significant trends
regarding the percent differences
for neonatal death rates and fetal
death rates among "lake-bordering"
and "non-lake bordering" counties
having rates2Ll standard deviation
higher than their respective state
means.
2. There was a slight trend regarding
the difference between percent of
live births with congenital
anomalies among "lake-bordering"
and "non-lake bordering" counties
having rates>.1 standard deviation
higher than their respective state
means. This trend favored the "non-
lake bordering" counties.

3. The fertility rates for the eight states
were not analyzed due to inconsist-
ent reporting between states.
4. An evaluation of the cancer rates
of the counties of the Great Lakes
states, stratified according to
proximity to the lake, indicated an
increasing trend with proximity to
the Lakes for esophageal and
stomach cancers. These trends are
still apparent after counties with
population centers_>100,000 have
been excluded from the analysis.

These results suggest that "lake-
bordering" populations (i.e., white
populations) experience higher rates of
mortality due to stomach and esophageal
cancers than "non-lake bordering"
counties. This trend is consistent when
the potential confounding factor of large
urban centers is removed. There were no
apparent trends regarding the fetal death
rate, the neonatal death rate, and the
percent of live births with congenital
anomalies, among "lake-bordering" and
"non-lake bordering" counties.
L M. Schuman. C. P. Straub. J. S. Mandel, S. Norsted. andJ. M. Sprafka are with
School of Public Health. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455.
W. R. Swain is the EPA Project Officer (see below}.
The complete report, entitled "Evaluation of the Methods Used to Determine
Potential Health Risks Associated with Organic Contaminants in the Great
Lakes Basin," (Order No. PB 84-128 305; Cost: $34.00, subject to change) will
be available only from:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA22161
Telephone: 703-487-4650
The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at:
Environmental Research Laboratory
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Duluth, MN 55804
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