Lifetime Exposure to Arsenic in Drinking Water- Application to a Bladder Cancer Case-Control Study

Ingestion of arsenic in drinking water has been linked with the risk of bladder cancer, however, questions remain about the dose-response relationships, ranges in induction-latency intervals, and whether there are critical lifetime exposure periods of heightened susceptibility. This book describes how individual- level estimates of arsenic exposure are reconstructed using newly developed Space-Time Information System technology, and offers methodological approaches for evaluating temporal dynamics in the relationship between arsenic exposure and bladder cancer. Spatial, temporal, and spatiotemporal variability are incorporated in the assessment of lifetime exposure to arsenic. Fluid and food consumption data are joined with mobility histories and arsenic concentrations to generate a detailed lifetime assessment of arsenic exposure. These exposure estimates will be used in a population-based bladder cancer case-control study nearing completion in southeastern Michigan. This work is directed to exposure scientists, environmental epidemiologists, health geographers, GIScientists, and others interested in the links between environment, human health, and spatial technology.