Texas Department of Health Services Report Indicates No Evidence of Cancer Clusters in Flower Mound

2121 Cross Timbers Road
Flower Mound, Texas 75028
972.874.6000

For service requests or questions, email
townhall@flower-mound.com
or call 972.539.SERV. After hours, please call 972.539.0525.

News

Texas Department of Health Services Report Indicates No Evidence of Cancer Clusters in Flower Mound

A recently released Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) report identifies no evidence of cancer clusters within Flower Mound and brings closure to a 2010 cancer rate study conducted within the Town.

The report summarizes the results of the investigation that included the Flower Mound zip codes of 75022 and 75028. The study concluded that the number of childhood leukemia subtypes, childhood brain/CNS cancer subtypes, all-age leukemia subtypes, and all-age non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma were within the expected ranges both for males and females. It was also noted that the number of female breast cancer cases found reported for these zip codes was statistically greater than what was expected, but the report indicated that the increase was likely explained by the rapid increase in the Flower Mound population during the times in which the data was collected.

Please review the 2011 report for additional information. The report updates previous analysis conducted in March 2010 by including more recent cancer data. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services report:

The chances of a person developing cancer as a result of exposure to an environmental contaminant are slight. Most experts agree that exposure to pollution, occupational, and industrial hazards account for fewer than 10 percent of cancer cases, and it often takes time for cancer to develop as 10 to 40 years can go by between the exposure to a carcinogen and a the diagnosis of cancer.

There was a slight elevation of female breast cancer. The previous March 2010 report indicated this increase was likely higher due to population growth and higher mammography use compared to Texas overall. The March 2011 reports indicates the elevation in female breast cancer is most likely due to growth in population. Currently, research does not show a link between breast cancer risk and environmental pollutants, and there isn’t any established scientific link between breast cancer and benzene, the contaminant of chief concern to the Flower Mound community.

As benzene has been shown to have an association with leukemia and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, the investigation studied all-age leukemia subtypes; all-age non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma; female breast cancer; and childhood brain/central nervous system (CNS) cancers. The report included complete statewide cancer data from the Texas Cancer Registry (TC) through 2008; however, DSHS also evaluated preliminary data for years 2008-2010 (as of March 2011).

Flower Mound worked with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to install a permanent Auto GC monitoring station within the Town in 2010. Recent reports from the station have revealed a 2011 benzene level average of 0.16 parts per billion. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s short-term Air Monitoring Comparison Value is 180 parts per billion.

Flower Mound has implemented several measures to monitor benzene and air quality since 2010 including the purchase of mobile air quality testing equipment, the implementation of an independent monthly air quality testing program, with supplemental testing for sulfides and carbonyls as needed, and the hiring a full-time oil and gas inspector. This significant service level increase is being paid for by gas well operators via an approved increased permit fee.

For additional information regarding the TDSHS studies, please contact Ms. Brenda Mokry, with the TDSHS Epidemiology Studies and Initiatives Branch at 512.776.3606.

Posted 04/27/2011.