Studies demonstrate that economically deprived minority communities are often disproportionately located in close proximity to industrial sources of pollution, and often these pollutants are known to cause cancer. Additionally, prolonged exposure to toxins such as, benzene and 1,3 butadiene, known human carcinogens and by-products of petroleum refining, can result in high premature cancer mortality. Recent studies have revealed an increased risk of cancer for port communities, similar to Galena Park, Texas located along the Houston Ship Channel; however, these studies did not investigate mortality concerns. This project seeks to investigate the community-identified concerns regarding cancer-related death clusters within the Galena Park community and other communities located along the Houston Ship Channel, between 1990 and 2010, through spatial analysis using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Preliminary findings suggest that approximately 1 in 5 premature cancer related deaths within the study area were attributed to cancers with a known association to benzene and 1,3 butadiene exposure. Spatially the findings reveal that the historically high premature cancer mortalities occurred in the predominantly minority and economically disadvantaged areas in close proximity to the Houston Ship Channel with higher ambient air concentrations of these toxins than more affluent areas in the region.

Citation Format: Demetrice R. Jordan, Denae Waller King, Lovell A. Jones. Examining community-perceived cancer mortality from industrial toxins along the Houston Ship Channel through spatial-temporal analysis in a GIS environment. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Fifth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2012 Oct 27-30; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2012;21(10 Suppl):Abstract nr B08.