On the Leukemia mortality in the province of Taranto (Italy): a first historical and gender perspective

İntroduction: Taranto is the most polluted area of Italy (and, probably, of Europe), characterized by a strong industrial presence since the early sixties. The pollutants involved in this study are carcinogens, mutagens, teratogens and neurotoxins. The target of this study is to look for possible temporal trends of leukemia mortality in this small province (no similar systematic studies are available), and to provide a historical, occupational, and gender interpretation of the results. In addition, a comparison with the overall Italian situation is presented. Materials and methods: The data represent the number of deaths per year in the province of Taranto, subdivided into Total Deaths and Leukemia’s Deaths. The observations cover a period of 35 years, from 1969 to 2003, and are available for both the female and male sub-populations separately. The analyses are carried out using Least Squares fits and Linear Regressions (Simple, Robust, and Generalized). Results: A statistically significant increase of leukemia mortality for the whole population is found, in contrast to the trends globally found in Italy. Conclusions: The study supports the association of larger leukemia mortality with residential proximity to sources of industrial pollutants, and emphasizes the urgency of an actual application of the existing regulations about pollutant emissions.