Excerpt:
With the Trump administration slashing environmental regulations and House Republicans passing their controversial health care bill last week, this new study might put you on edge. Researchers have found a link between environmental quality and cancer incidence across the U.S.
"Our study is the first we are aware of to address the impact of cumulative environmental exposures on cancer incidence," said Dr. Jyotsna Jagai of the University of Illinois, who led the research team.
For the study, the researchers cross-referenced the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program's state cancer profiles with the Environmental Quality Index (EQI) and determined that the average cancer rate in roughly 2,700 counties was about 451 people in every 100,000 between 2006 and 2010.
But in counties with poor environmental quality, the researchers found a 10 percent higher incidence of cancer cases—or an average of 39 more cases per 100,000 people. The higher numbers were seen in both males and females, especially prostate and breast cancer.
