Municipal distribution of bladder cancer mortality in Spain: Possible role of mining and industry

BACKGROUND Spain shows the highest bladder cancer incidence rates in men among European countries. The most important risk factors are tobacco smoking and occupational exposure to a range of different chemical substances, such as aromatic amines. METHODS This paper describes the municipal distribution of bladder cancer mortality and attempts to "adjust" this spatial pattern for the prevalence of smokers, using the autoregressive spatial model proposed by Besag, York and Molliè, with relative risk of lung cancer mortality as a surrogate. RESULTS It has been possible to compile and ascertain the posterior distribution of relative risk for bladder cancer adjusted for lung cancer mortality, on the basis of a single Bayesian spatial model covering all of Spain's 8077 towns. Maps were plotted depicting smoothed relative risk (RR) estimates, and the distribution of the posterior probability of RR>1 by sex. Towns that registered the highest relative risks for both sexes were mostly located in the Provinces of Cadiz, Seville, Huelva, Barcelona and Almería. The highest-risk area in Barcelona Province corresponded to very specific municipal areas in the Bages district, e.g., Suría, Sallent, Balsareny, Manresa and Cardona. CONCLUSION Mining/industrial pollution and the risk entailed in certain occupational exposures could in part be dictating the pattern of municipal bladder cancer mortality in Spain. Population exposure to arsenic is a matter that calls for attention. It would be of great interest if the relationship between the chemical quality of drinking water and the frequency of bladder cancer could be studied.

Análisis de la Morfología del Raquis Torácico y Lumbar en Mujeres Trabajadoras de una Cooperativa Hortofrutícola

The aim of this study was to analyze the sagittal spinal morphology of thoracic and lumbar spine in standing and sitting in women workers from a cooperative in the production, handling and marketing business of vegetable and fruit products. A total of 50 women (mean age: 43.62±8.43 years old) were evaluated. The Spinal Mouse system was used to mesasure the sagittal thoracic and lumbar curvatures in standing and relaxed sitting. The values for thoracic and lumbar curvatures were 32.74±8.76 and -21.66±19.12 in standing and 36.32±10.55 and -1.08±18.14 in sitting. A high frequency (86.0% and 68.3%) of normal thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis were found in standing posture. While sitting the 74.0% and 20.0% presented thoracic hyperkyphosis and lumbar kyphosis. In conclusion, a high percentaje of women workers presented normality values in standing posture, although a high percentage of women were found with thoracic hyperkyphosis and lumbar flexed while sitting relaxed. It is recommended that these women carry out a program to improve their actitudinal postures in their work place.