Mountaintop mining is linked to increased community cancer risk.

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Self-Reported Cancer Rates in Two Rural Areas of West Virginia with and Without Mountaintop Coal Mining

Journal of Community Health via Mother Jones (Published online July 24, 2011; doi 10.1007/s10900-011-9448-5) / by Michael Hendryx, Leah Wolfe, Juhua Luo and Bo Webb
https://motherjones.com/files/final_jch_cancer_2011.pdf

[Abstract] Mountaintop coal mining in the Appalachian region in the United States causes significant environmental damage to air and water. Serious health disparities exist for people who live in coal mining portions of Appalachia, but little previous research has examined disparities specifically in mountaintop mining communities. A community-based participatory research study was designed and implemented to collect information on cancer rates in a rural mountaintop mining area compared to a rural non-mining area of West Virginia. A door–door health interview collected data from 773 adults. Selfreported cancer rates were significantly higher in the mining versus the non-mining area after control for respondent age, sex, smoking, occupational history, and family cancer history (odds ratio = 2.03, 95% confidence interval = 1.32–3.13). Mountaintop mining is linked to increased community cancer risk. Efforts to reduce cancer
and other health disparities in Appalachia must focus on mountaintop mining portions of the region.

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