Residential proximity to Superfund sites and breast cancer incidence in a nationwide cohort
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background: The United States Environmental Protection Agency-designated Superfund sites are a source of potential exposure to harmful contaminants, including endocrine-disrupting chemicals and carcinogens, that may be relevant to breast cancer risk. However, there is limited research on the possible association between residential proximity to Superfund sites and the risk of breast cancer. Methods: Using data from the prospective US-wide Sister Study cohort (N = 49,594), geocoded enrollment addresses were linked to active United States Environmental Protection Agency Superfund sites to determine residential proximity to sites. Proximity metrics included residing within 3-, 5-, and 10-miles of Superfund sites. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the relationship between residential proximity to Superfund sites and breast cancer incidence. We further evaluated whether associations for residential proximity and breast cancer incidence varied according to individual contaminants and latent classes that grouped Superfund sites based on the mixture of contaminants present at the site. Results: Over an average of 12 years of follow-up, 4,565 breast cancer cases were identified. Overall, there was little evidence to support that living within three miles of a single Superfund site was strongly related to breast cancer incidence. However, living within three miles of two or more sites was associated with a 20% higher breast cancer incidence (HR = 1.20; 95% CI = 1.00, 1.45). There was little evidence of an association by contaminant latent classes, although when considering individual contaminants, we observed a possible association with proximity to sites containing organophosphates (HR = 1.33, 95% CI = 0.90, 1.96). Conclusion: In this large, US-wide cohort, no overall pattern of association between residential proximity to Superfund sites and breast cancer incidence was found. However, elevated HRs were observed for living near two or more sites or sites that are contaminated with organophosphates.
Source: Environmental Epidemiology
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,200
OpenAlex ID: W7123869002