foodconsumer.org: Manganese linked to cancer deaths

Manganese linked to cancer deaths
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admin on 07/12/2009 22:05:00
 
By David Liu
A new study suggests groundwater manganese may increase total cancer, colon
cancer and lung cancer death rates while airborne manganese may reduce total
cancer, breast cancer and lung cancer death rates.
John Spangler, M.D. from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and
colleagues conducted an ecological study using data from the North Carolina
State Center for Health Statistics, North Carolina Geological Survey, U.S.
Geological Survey, and U.S. Census.
The researchers found airborne manganese was correlated at the county level with
a 14 percent decrease in total cancer deaths, a 43 percent decrease in breast
cancer deaths and a 22 percent decrease in lung cancer deaths.
In comparison, manganese in groundwater was associated with a 28 percent
increase in county-level colon cancer deaths and a 26 percent increase in lung
cancer deaths at the county level.
Spangler said "The positive association between groundwater manganese and
specific cancer mortality rates might be a function of the high concentrations
measures, while the inverse relationship between air manganese and death rates
might point toward adequate (e.g. healthy) county-level manganese exposures."