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Identification of Cancer Cluster

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In November 2019, the Texas Department of State Health Services was able to identify a statistically significant cancer cluster in Kashmere Gardens and Fifth Ward with no known cause.[1] In the report by the Texas Department of State Health Services, Assessment of the Occurrence of Cancer Houston, Texas 2000-2016[2], it was found that when comparing the cancer analysis of the Fifth Ward to other areas within Texas and Houston, several cancers were statistically greater than what would be expected in an uncontaminated area.[2]

Statistical Analysis

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Cancer Type Observed Expected SIR 95% CI
Acute Myeloid Leukemia 24 18.6 1.29 (0.83, 1.92)
Lung & Bronchus* 478 351.9 1.36 (1.24, 1.49)
Esophagus* 40 24.6 1.63 (1.16, 2.22)
Urinary Bladder 68 67.4 1.01 (0.78, 1.28)
Nose & Nasal Cavity 8 3.7 2.18 (0.94, 4.30)
Larynx* 53 27.9 1.90 (1.42, 2.48)

Table 1. Includes the analysis done by the Texas Department of State Health Services to identify the cancer cluster. “Standardized Incidence Ratios (SIRs) and 95 percent Confidence Intervals (CIs) for Selected Adult (≥20 years) Cancers in Houston, Texas, 2000-2016.”[2]

In 2020, Dr. Loren Hopkins, the Chief Environmental Science Officer at the Houston Health Department, requested that further analysis be done in order to determine where the cancer clusters were most dense.[2] The Houston Health Department observed that the census tracts in both the Greater Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens had a significantly higher than expected number of cancer cases.[2]

Figure 2. Ten census tracts, including 2110, 2111, 2112, 2113, 2114, 2115, 2116, 2117, 2119, and 2124 were analyzed for certain cancer clusters. The cancers analyzed included the esophagus, larynx, liver, lung & bronchus, and urinary bladder.[2]
  1. ^ Fritz, Lance (July 27, 2022). "90-Day Notice of Intent to Sue under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act" (PDF).
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Fifth Ward/Kashmere Gardens Union Pacific Railroad Site Contamination and Area Cancer Cluster | Houston Health Department". www.houstonhealth.org. Retrieved 2024-04-16.