This study by the BC Cancer Agency (BCCA) was requested by the BC Ministry of Health following the discovery through the Trail Lead Study by UBC (1989) that concentrations of some carcinogenic metals (e.g. arsenic and cadmium) were elevated in soils in some parts of Trail. The BCCA examined existing cancer mortality and incidence data to determine whether rates of cancer had been high in residents of the Trail school district (the former SD #11), as compared against the rest of BC. Mortality data from 1956-1989 were evaluated, which would represent cancer deaths occurring mostly among people who had lived during a time when concentrations of smelter-related metals in the local environment, particularly in outdoor air, were considerably higher than they have been since improved environmental controls were implemented at the smelter (roughly 1980s through present).
The report described the data sources and analytical methods used, as well as the limitations of studies that rely on the available mortality and incidence data. The authors concluded this examination of incidence and mortality data from the Trail School District did not suggest that environmental contamination from smelter-related metals was associated with any elevated risk of developing cancer.
