Abstract

CASTREZANA CAMPOS, María del Rocío. The geography of Mexico breast cancer. Invest. Geog [online]. 2017, n.93. ISSN 2448-7279.  https://doi.org/10.14350/rig.56879.

This research was aimed at locating and mapping the geographical regions where the cases of breast cancer among the female population of Mexico have been most prevalent, analyzing the predominant geographic factors and establishing if the relationship between these and the different environmental aspects may be conditioning the presence and development of this neoplasm. The delimitation was based primarily on the analysis of the temporal evolution of mortality and morbidity rates of this disease since 2000, by state, which allowed the identification of twelve entities that sustained the highest rates throughout twelve years, as well as the municipalities where the most relevant data of this disease were recorded during that period. Likewise, the twelve states with the lowest rates were delimited in this respect, to review which municipalities of these states presented the most significant mortality and morbidity data and to review in the subsequent analysis, the coincidences or divergences presented by both antagonistic spaces. In total, one hundred twenty municipalities were selected for the analysis of environmental factors that have been identified in various sources as potential sources of risk in the development of breast cancer. The variables analyzed are: contaminated surface waters, contaminated soils, contaminated groundwater, polluting industries and air pollution from thermoelectric plants and how they have been spatially and statistically expressed in the target municipalities. The methodology was based on the analysis of the spatial behavior of the variables indicated and was complemented with the application of the multiple regression models in the target or occurrence municipalities. Considering the statistical data of breast cancer and the selected variables, the relationship resulted positive in three variables: industries, contaminated groundwater and contaminated soils.

Some of the most relevant results were: First, according with the indicators currently used by the National Water Commission (CONAGUA) regarding the severely contaminated water surface: five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (DQO) and The total suspended solids (SST), coincided the presence of them in seventy-four of the target municipalities that equal 61.6%. Second, by analyzing the COD index separately, as it shows contamination by industrial discharges and agricultural activity, it turned out that eighty-six sites (74%) contaminated with this indicator of a total of 116 points recorded by CONAGUA are located in the Municipalities. Concerning the presence of groundwater (aquifers) contaminated mainly with nitrates in concentrations greater than 45 mg / l; in the counts of spatial analysis, it is observed that in seventy-five of the target municipalities (65%), this variable is present. Another relevant result was to review the location of thermoelectric plants generating electric energy that run on fuels that affect air quality such as fuel oil, coal and disel, all three generate carcinogenic elements when they combust. In this case of the total of the eighty-four thermoelectric plants operating in the country, fifty-eight (69%) are located in thirty-nine of the target municipalities (32.5%). And of the total number of polluting industries that operate in the country, only five (4.1%) of the target municipalities did not have this type of industry, so this variable was very significant in the study areas. Finally, the presence of sites contaminated with hazardous wastes (RP), resulting from wastes generated by the mining, basic chemistry, petrochemical, oil refining and agribusiness industries, were also present in 112 (93.3%) of the target municipalities.

It is concluded that it was relevant to delimit the main spaces where breast cancer has developed during the last twelve years, since this allowed the application of the physical variables to be able to identify several risk factors that have converged in them, a situation that can, possibly explain, in part, the presence of this neoplasm among the female population of certain regions of Mexico. This is of importance if one considers that the World Health Organization attributes to environmental factors as the cause of the development of more than eighty percent of the cancers that occur in the world, mainly lung and breast cancer.

This analysis makes it possible to focus and implement public policies aimed at the prevention and detection of women who are currently exposed to the risk factors described in the study and in the designation of resources for the treatment and care of the population that already suffers this disease. The later, considering that breast cancer is currently a serious public health problem, due to the marked increase registered in this cancer among Mexican women every year.

Keywords : breast cancer; environmental pollution; toxic wastes; spatial analysis; mortality; Mexico.