Relationship between lung cancer and distance of residence from a nonferrous smelter.

A case-control study of lung cancer incidence within a 20-kilometer radius around a nonferrous smelter during the years 1970 to 1977 is reported. Addresses at time of diagnosis of lung cancer patients (cases) and breast and prostate cancer patients (controls) were obtained from the Utah Cancer Registry and plotted on U.S. Geological Survey maps so that distance and direction of the addresses from the smelter could be calculated. Mailed questionnaires with telephone follow-up, obtained on 67% of all living subjects of next-of-kin, controlled from smoking and occupational exposure histories. No statistically significant relationship between lung cancer and distance of proxy for dose of carcinogens contained in smelter effluent was found using the Mantel-Haenszel chi-square (male p=.94; female p=.69). Lung cancer was significantly associated with smoking (p=.00001) and occupation (p=.0049), but discriminant analysis revealed that occupation, smoking, age and distance were not significant predictors of lung cancer.