Arsenic in Drinking Water and Lung Cancer Mortality in the United States: An Analysis Based on US Counties and 30 Years of Observation (1950–1979)
Table 1
Descriptive table for variables in analysis of lung cancer mortality risk for white males and white females in study counties with median groundwater arsenic level.
Units
Mean
Median
Range
Dependent variable
SMR (WM)
—
0.9
0.89
(0.42–1.37)
SMR (WF)
—
0.88
0.89
(0.39–1.65)
Independent variable
Median arsenic
µg/L (ppb)
6.6
4.5
(3.0–59.0)
exposure
Covariables
Education
Percent < HS
47.3
46.8
(26.0–74.0)
Rural
Percent of adults
68
67
(5.0–100.0)
Poverty
Percent < 75th percentile
11
9
(3.0–36.0)
Income
Median income ($)
21,789
21,088
(11,151–37,669)
Soil/sediment
mg/Kg (ppm)
7.72
6.95
(1.23–30.95)
State born (M)
Percent of Ca deaths
57
65
(0.0–100.0)
State born (F)
Percent of Ca deaths
58
68
(0.0–100.0)
Current smoke (M)
Percent of adults
28.4
27.9
(20.6–37.0)
Current smoke (F)
Percent of adults
23.3
22.8
(15.0–34.4)
SMR: standardized mortality ratio, HS: high school, HHInc: household income, M: male, F: female, Ca: cancer; two outlier counties (Deer Lodge, MT; Storey, NV) were excluded.
