Original Articles
Copyright ©The Author(s) 1998. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Feb 15, 1998; 4(1): 45-47
Published online Feb 15, 1998. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v4.i1.45
Relationship between different sources of drinking water, water quality improvement and gastric cancer mortality in Changle County - A retrospective-cohort study in high incidence area
Zhi-Qiang Wang, Jian He, Wen Chen, Yu Chen, Tian-Shu Zhou, Yu-Chun Lin
Zhi-Qiang Wang, Yu Chen, Department of Environmental Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzou 350004, Fujian Province, China.
Jian He, Tian-Shu Zhou, Hygiene and Anti-epidemic Station of Fujian Province, Fuzhou 350001, Fujian Province, China
Wen Chen, Yu-Chun Lin, Hygiene and Anti-epidemic Station of Changle county, Changle 350200, Fujian Province, China
Zhi-Qiang Wang, male, born on 1937-07-15 in Shanghai, graduated from Shanghai Medical University in 1961, Professor of Environmental Health, Director, having 18 papers published.
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Dr. WANG Zhi-Qiang, Department of Environmental Health, Fujian Medical University, 88 Jiaotong Road, Fuzou 350004, Fujian Province, China
Telephone: +86-591-3357235
Received: July 10, 1997
Revised: August 12, 1997
Accepted: September 6, 1997
Published online: February 15, 1998
Abstract

AIM: To investigate the relationship between different sources of drinking water supply, water quality improvement and gastric cancer mortality rate in a high risk area.

METHODS: A retrospective-cohort survey was carried out in all towns of this county to study the effect of different sources of drinking water supply and water quality improvement on gastric cancer mortality rate.

RESULTS: The gastric cancer mortality rate among the population 124.05/105 drinking river water was obviously higher than that of drinking shallow well water (74.85/105) (P < 0.01) according to the Zhanggang Town 16 years accumulated data. The same pattern was presented in 7 towns after balancing the confounders. The gastric cancer mortality rate of population drinking river water was 86.03/105, which was higher than those drinking shallow well water (62.03/105) and tap water (29.78/105) (P < 0.01). When the drinking water switched from river and well water to tap water, the gastric cancer incidence decreased to 30.33/105 and 26.10/105, and the gastric cancer mortality decreased by 59% and 57% respectively.

CONCLUSION: The quality of drinking water is one of the important factors of increased incidence of gastric cancer in Changle County, and water quality improvement has a beneficial effect, but the cause of high gastric cancer incidence may be multi-factorial in this area.

Keywords: stomach neoplasms/ mortality; water supply; risk factors; cohort studies; incidence; retrospective studies