Table 2.
Summary of exposures hypothesized to be linked to three most commonly perceived cancer clusters.
| Brain cancer clusters (N = 48)a | Breast cancer clusters (N = 20)* | Leukemia and myeloma clusters (N = 39)a | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exposures of concern | N | Exposures of concern | N | Exposures of concern | N |
| Not listed | 24 | Not listed | 12 | Not listed | 16 |
| Radiation | 4 | Lead | 1 | VOCs | 4 |
| Dioxin | 2 | TCE | 4 | TCE | 4 |
| CO2 | 1 | VOCs | 1 | PCE | 3 |
| VOCs | 1 | TCA | 1 | EMF | 1 |
| Pesticides | 2 | Benzene | 1 | Radiation | 1 |
| EMF | 1 | Trihalomethanes | 1 | Lead | 2 |
| Solvents | 1 | Radon | 1 | Radon | 1 |
| Animal viruses | 1 | PCE | 3 | PCBs | 2 |
| N-Nitroso compounds 1,2-Dichloroethane | 1 1 | PCBs Barium | 1 1 | Styrene-acrylonitrile trimer Trihalomethanes | 1 1 |
| Vinyl chloride Styrene-acrylonitrile trimer Chlorinated benzenes TCE | 1 1 1 2 | Cadmium EMF Vinyl/asbestos cement PAHs | 1 2 1 1 | Benzene PAHs Pentachlorophenol Cadmium | 1 3 1 1 |
| PCE | 3 | Chloroform | 1 | Barium | 1 |
| Pentachlorophenol Creosote | 1 1 | Metals Pesticides | 1 2 | Creosote Ammonia Cu Zn arsenate | 1 1 |
| Ammonia Cu Zn arsenate | 1 | Unspecified exposure from: | Aluminum | 1 | |
| Boron | 1 | Contaminated drinking water | 2 | Arsenic | 1 |
| Benzene | 1 | Air pollution | 1 | Chromium | 2 |
| PCBs | 1 | Power plant | 1 | Copper | 1 |
| PAHs | 1 | Nuclear generating plant | 1 | Mercury | 1 |
| Lead | 1 | Hazardous/municipal waste | 1 | Vanadium | 1 |
| Cadmium | 1 | Other sites | 1 | Zinc | 1 |
| Barium | 1 | Transformers and power lines | 1 | Dioxin | 1 |
| Unspecified exposures from: | Indoor and ambient air pollution | 1 | Ethylene dibromide | 1 | |
| Carpet industry | 1 | 1,2-Dichloropropane | 1 | ||
| Chemical manufacturer | 2 | Pesticides | 3 | ||
| Radio towers | 1 | Metals | 1 | ||
| Landfill | 1 | Vinyl/asbestos cement | 1 | ||
| Industrial site | 1 | 60 Hz magnetic field | 1 | ||
| Pulp and paper mill | 1 | Jet fuel | 1 | ||
| Burn/municipal dump | 1 | Infectious agents | 1 | ||
| Refinery | 1 | Unspecified exposures from: | |||
| Groves and farms | 1 | Contaminated drinking water | 1 | ||
| Transformers and power lines | 1 | Power plant | 1 | ||
| Other sites | 1 | ||||
| Explosives production plant | 1 | ||||
| Naval air station | 1 | ||||
| Landfill | 1 | ||||
| Superfund site | 1 | ||||
| Army ammunition plant | 1 | ||||
| Transformers and power lines | 1 | ||||
| Ordnance plant and engineer depot | 1 | ||||
a
Several cluster investigations listed more than one hypothesized exposure.
EMF, electromagnetic field; PAHs, polyaromatic hydrocarbons; PCBs, polychlorinated biphenyls; PCE, perchloroethylene; TCA, trichloroethane; TCE, trichloroethylene; VOCs, volatile organic chemicals.