Jim Waymer

FLORIDA TODAY

Cancer rates are more than 6 percent higher in Florida counties with federally designated toxic waste "Superfund" sites compared to those without such sites, according to a new study.

The findings highlight potential cancer "hot spots" possibly linked with the state's 77 Superfund sites, the hazardous waste sites the federal government deems highest priority for cleanups.

Researchers say Florida health officials might want to take a closer look at risks of specific kinds of cancer in these areas, especially for cancers more likely to strike men.

The study also identified cancer "hot spots" for men in eight counties: St. Lucie; Osceola; Citrus; Sumter; Herando; Marion; Sarasota and Glades counties.

Florida's large swaths of low, swampy surface water and high number of Superfund sites could be a potent mix putting some Floridians at slightly higher cancer risk, according to the study. But the researchers warn the link they found between Superfund sites and cancer is fraught with uncertainties.

"This is a very aggregated, general study," said Emily Leary, assistant professor at University of Missouri's School of Medicine and co-author of the study. "This helps those agencies identify areas for further investigation and concern."

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Using adult cancer rates in Florida from 1986 to 2010, researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine and the University of Florida found a possible link between cancer incidence rates near Superfund sites.

Their study was recently published in the journal Statistics and Public Policy.

For overall cancer rates, the three highest age-adjusted cancer incidence rates among Florida's 67 counties were in Highlands, Hernando and Sarasota counties, respectively, according to data from the study.

Indian River and Martin County ranked six and seventh, respectively. Brevard ranked 19th.

Indian River County's only Superfund site is the Piper Aircraft Corp./Vero Beach Water & Sewer Department site in Vero Beach, where Piper began manufacturing airplanes and storing chemicals used in the process in 1975.

Brevard's sole Superfund site is the 310-acre Harris Corp. site, located at the intersection of Palm Bay Road and Troutman Boluveard, in Palm Bay. It includes two industrial properties used for multiple manufacturing activities since the 1950s, according to EPA. Groundwater at the site was found contaminated with vinyl chloride in 1982. The cancer-causing chemical had contaminated 10 of 18 wells operated by General Development Utilities.

[Image: This state data shows Brevard County has cancer death rate in the upper quartile among the state's 67 counties. A recent study found increased cancer incidence rates in counties with hazardous waste sites. Source: Florida Department of Health, Florida CHARTS]

The Environmental Protection Agency put the Harris site on the Superfund program’s National Priorities List in 1987. "Site contamination does not currently threaten people living and working near the site," according to EPA's Superfund website. Workers on site and nearby residents and businesses use the public water system for drinking.

The EPA lists two Martin County Superfund sites: Florida Steel Corp. in Indiantown and Solitron Microwave in Port Salerno.

Being male or living in a county with a greater number of proposed and final Superfund sites was associated with increased incidence of all adult cancers, the researchers found.

“This work is novel because it is another piece of evidence to support an environmental cause of cancer," Leary said in a news release announcing the paper. "While it would be premature to say these differences are attributed to Superfund sites, there does appear to be an association. More research is needed to determine what this relationship is and why it exists, but identifying that a difference exists is a necessary first step.”

Florida has 77 sites that currently are or have been classified as Superfund sites by the EPA, the sixth highest number in the nation.

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Using cancer incidence data from the Florida Department of Health, the researchers looked for cancer clusters, or “hot spots,” where cases were higher than normal. Because childhood cancers often are genetic and not linked to environmental factors, the researchers decided to focus on adult cancers, without distinguishing between different types of cancer.

Health researchers say it is extremely difficult to prove cancer clusters for several reasons, including the fact that many cancers take so long to develop, the difficulty in pinning down various lifestyle differences and lifetime exposures for people who move multiple times.

"The more we have such work, the better," said Raid Amin, professor of math and statistics at the University of West Florida, who's done similar cancer cluster analyses in Florida. In a 2014 paper, Amin identified two statistically significant clusters of adolescent and young adult thyroid cancer: one in South Florida and the other in Northwest Florida.

"It's an indication," he said of the University of Missouri and UF study. "But I doubt that the department of health or anyone takes this seriously."

He said getting good cancer data from Florida and other state health officials can be a challenge, too, because federal health privacy laws often limit researchers from looking at cancer cases at closer than a county level.

"They don't give you detailed data," Amin said. "You get data at the county level easily, but that's where it ends."

The researchers hope their findings help direct public health efforts in Florida.

“Our results can help public health agencies adjust policies and dedicate more efforts to areas with cancer hot spots,” Alexander Kirpich, postdoctoral associate at UF and co-author of the study, said in a news release. “These results support the link between toxic environmental waste and adverse health outcomes, but more efforts are needed to better understand this link and what it means for residents in these counties.”

Florida health officials declined comment on the research, because they haven't yet had time yet to review it, Mara Gambineri, a spokeswoman for Florida Department of Health, said via email. But the agency works closely with community groups to improve cancer awareness of early detection and regular screenings.

"Because cancer is a common disease and because populations are not randomly distributed in Florida but tend to cluster by age, socio-economic status and race, etc., disease clusters are found from time to time in the state," Gambineri said.

Contact Waymer at 321-242-3663 or jwaymer@floridatoday.com Follow him on Twitter @JWayEnviro and at facebook.com/jim.waymer.

See the data and cancer hot spot maps here.

Florida's website regarding cancer cluster concerns.