Agenda

• What is BCCC?

• Health Data

• Possible Environmental Health Hazards

• Next Steps

• Lunch

Agenda

• What is BCCC?

• Health Data

• Possible Environmental Health Hazards

• Next Steps

• Lunch

Age-adjusted Cancer Rate 1999-2008

Indiana State Dept Health (Jan 2012).Blackford County Cancer Inquiry Final Report

Age-adjusted Cancer Rate 1998-2012

Blackford Indiana US

All 514.7 484.5 460.4

Bladder 28.1 21.2 20.5

Colon 59.8 52.05 43.7

Thyroid 14.9 9.1 12.9

*Rates are per 100,000 persons per year

Indiana Cancer Registry (2014). Unpublished data

Numbers of Cancers in Blackford County 1998-2012

Actual Expected

All 1289 1214

Bladder 72 55

Colon 153 133

Thyroid 30 19

Indiana Cancer Registry (2014). Unpublished data

Cancer Risk Factors

• Bladder Cancer– Smoking– Aromatic amines (dye chemicals)– Workplace chemical exposures

• Rubber, Leather, textiles, chemical, and printing industries• Hairdressers, truck drivers, painters

– Chronic bladder infection or irritation– Chemotherapy or radiation– Pioglitazone (diabetes medicine Actos)– Dietary supplement aristolochic acid– Arsenic in drinking water– Low fluid consumption

American Cancer Society. www.cancer.org

Cancer Risk Factors

• Colon Cancer– Family history– Diabetes– Obesity– Smoking– Fatty diet– Alcohol consumption

• Thyroid Cancer– Radiation exposure– Female– Rare familial conditions

American Cancer Society. www.cancer.org

Cancer Risk Factors

• Smoking• Diet• Exercise• Genetics• Exposure to carcinogens

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (2015) www.countyhealthrankings.org/

Good News

• The Blackford County smoking rate dropped

– 2002 – 2008 33.8%

– 2014 29%

Indiana State Dept Health (Jan 2012).Blackford County Cancer Inquiry Final Report Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (2015) www.countyhealthrankings.org/

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

• Also known as ‘ALS’ or Lou Gehrig’s Disease• Rate in U.S. is 2/100,000• Blackford County may have 5/100,000– Per citizen survey

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

• Risk factors– Genetic mutations – Head trauma– Military service– Smoking– BMAA from blue-green algae – Heavy metals (Arsenic, Lead, Mercury)

Questions?

Agenda

• What is BCCC?

• Health Data

• Possible Environmental Health Hazards

• Next Steps

• Lunch

Groundwater

Leaking Underground Storage Tank

Leaching

Leaching

Chemicals of ConcernCarcinogensarsenicchromiumbenzenebenzo(a)pyrene Neurotoxins leadmercurymethylene chloridetetrachloroethenetoluenetrichloroethenexylenetetrachloroethylenepetroleum hydrocarbons

Endocrine Disruptors atrazinebis (2-ethylhexyl)phthalate di-n-butylphthalate polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) Toxic to metabolismcyanidenitrate/nitritenaphthalene Othercoppernickelsilverzinc

Well Testing Project

• Indiana State Department of Health Laboratories

• Blackford County Health Department• 14 well owners– Near old oil/gas wells– Near dump sites– Near neither

Well Testing

Well Test Report Example

Well Test Results

• None of the tests exceeded US standards for safe drinking water

• All the wells tested meet US standards for safe water

One minor caveat

• Arsenic– US Maximum Contaminant Level 10 ug/L– 3 wells had arsenic at 7 – 8 ug/L

Soil at the Old Glass Factory Sites

Heavy metals in Glass Manufacturing

• Arsenic

• Lead

EPA Standard Exposures

Exposure path Daily intake

Ingestion of water 2 Liters

Ingestion of dust (child) 200 mg

Ingestion of dust (adult) 100 mg

Inhalation (total) 20 m3

Modified from Penningroth (2010). Toxic Chemical Risk. Pg 139

Soil Testing Project

• 15 samples per site

• 2 foot cores

Soil sampling and testing generously donated by

Soil Sample with Glass Fragments

Soil Sample with Brick Fragments

Testing Soil for Arsenic and Lead by XRF

Soil Testing: Preliminary Results

• XRF is a rapid screening method• Confirmatory tests are pending

National Window and Bent Glass in Montpelier

1900

Montpelier 2015

Soil Samples Montpelier

Montpelier Preliminary Results-1

Montpelier Preliminary Results-2

American Window Glass in Hartford City 1909

Hartford City Soil Samples

Hartford City Preliminary Results-1

Hartford City Preliminary Results-2

Agenda

• What is BCCC?

• Health Data

• Possible Environmental Health Hazards

• Next Steps

• Lunch

Next Steps

• Research– Groundwater– Heavy metals– Possibly BMAA, radon

• Seeking Solutions

• Education

Questions?

Agenda

• What is BCCC?

• Health Data

• Possible Environmental Health Hazards

• Next Steps

• Lunch