Gastrointestinal Cancer Mortality in New Jersey Counties, and the Relationship with Environmental Variables

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Abstract
The State of New Jersey (NJ) USA has been thought to have an unusually high cancer mortality rate; this assumption has been based on 1950–1969 mortality data for its 21 counties. This paper presents an analysis of gastrointestinal (GI) cancer mortality rates in New Jersey counties during 1968–1977. a comparison with the 1950–1969 rates, and associations between current GI cancer mortality rates and selected environmental variables. Age-adjusted mortality rates for GI cancers were calculated for the 21 NJ counties during the period 1968–1977, and were compared with the period 1950–1969, with the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) survey and with cancer mortality in the US. 1973–1977. The county rates were also correlated with: the distribution of chemical toxic waste disposal sites; annual per capita income; the rates of low birth weight, birth defects, and infant mortality; chemical industry distribution; percentage of the population employed in chemical industries; the density of population; and the urbanization index for each of the counties. Some of the major findings are: Some of the implications of the study findings are discussed and recommendations made for future investigations.