Monday, November 1, 2010

Mortality Maps Reveal Rise in Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Today, I would like to discuss two maps of the United States. These are not your typical maps with street names and parks. Instead, these maps show the mortality rate for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and they were published by the National Cancer Institute. Mortality rate refers to the "death rate," or the percentage of people who die from a given cause. Morbid, yes, but bear with me because these maps reveal some interesting stuff.

The first map displays data from 1950-1969:

The second shows data from 1970-1994:

The first thing you probably notice is that there's a whole lot more red on the second map. This means that more people are suffering from NHL. Several sources have noted a dramatic increase in NHL over the past few decades:
  • "Research has documented a steady increase in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma over the past several decades." (ScienceDaily)
  • "Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) is one of the fastest rising cancers in the developing countries. In many countries, including the US and Canada, the number of new cases diagnosed each year have almost doubled in the past 30 years." (lymphoma.about.com)
  • "Between 1973 and 1991, the 73 percent increase in the incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was one of the largest among the major cancer sites in the United States." (rex.nci.hih.gov)
What's to blame for this substantial rise in NHL? Some say the rise in HIV is responsible, as immune deficiency is a risk factor. Others say we simply have better detection methods. Your guess is as good as mine, but one thing's for sure: NHL is becoming a more prevalent problem and deserves greater attention, funding and research.


*Note that these two maps compare NHL mortality rates for white women. To see the maps for other demographics, click here.
Posted by at
Labels:

4 comments:

  1. LauraNovember 01, 2010

    Very interesting to see it broken down into maps. It seems that a good deal of NHL is concentrated in the center of the country... Curious why that may be.

    ReplyDelete
  2. NathanNovember 02, 2010

    Perhaps the dramatic rise has to do with the terrible corporate agricultural era we've slipped into. Our food is literally poisoning us, and it is established that environmental toxins have a lot to do with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Thank you, Monsanto.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousNovember 02, 2010

    Here's a clue that PCBs played a role:
    http://www.sciencenews.org/pages/pdfs/data/1997/152-06/15206-05.pdf

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousJune 05, 2024

    I just moved to rural Sedgwick County, Kansas - about 25 minutes from Wichita. I have noticed that many of the fields of grain turn yellow for a few weeks when the surrounding grasses are green and thriving… glyphosate usage is quite likely.

    My guess is that the local farmers are using spray rigs on tractors, because there have been no crop dusters. However, the chemicals are likely leaching into our aquifers… and we’re all getting our water from wells. I also am left to wonder how much of the glyphosate is inhaled when those farmers cut the wheat.

    I get my drinking water in 5 gallon bottles because even with a whole-house filter and a second refrigerator filter the water here has a bitter taste. I don’t know which minerals are prevalent, but it’s nasty.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)