Civilian exposure to munitions-specific carcinogens and resulting cancer risks for civilians on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques following military exercises from 1947 to 1998
Hans Sanderson, Patrik Fauser, Ricky Steven Stauber, Jesper Christensen, Per Løfstrøm & Thomas Becker To cite this article: Hans Sanderson, Patrik Fauser, Ricky Steven Stauber, Jesper Christensen, Per Løfstrøm & Thomas Becker (2017) Civilian exposure to munitions-specific carcinogens and resulting cancer risks for civilians on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques following military exercises from 1947 to 1998, Global Security: Health, Science and Policy, 2:1, 39-60 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23779497.2017.1369358
ABSTRACT
Estimation of legacy public health risks from munitions residues near or at former military test
ranges has for the past decades been a challenge to health authorities. Parts of the island of Vieques
(PR) were for six decades used for military training, and these are now declared as a Superfund site.
ATSDR has conducted site assessments there and found no cause for public health concerns. The
reports and findings of ATSDR have since been heavily contested and disputed. This paper provides
a case study on cancer risk screening of munitions-specific carcinogens for the full period of military
training on Vieques. Added cancer risks and Margins of Exposure for the different carcinogens for
each year were derived. We found that there is a potential for cancer risk concern related to BaP
exposures. Furthermore, there were health risks from TNT exposures. The primary exposure route of
these compounds was oral. The period 1992–1997 showed a significantly elevated lung and bronchus
cancer incidence rate in Vieques compared to Puerto Rico mainland mainly among women and men 50–64 yr. These correlate with high munitions exposures in the period 1977–1984.