Health Outcomes Review: Birth Outcomes and Cancer, Village of Victor Public Water Supply

1. SUMMARY The New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH) conducted a health outcomes review for the Village of Victor because of concerns about health effects from chemicals in the Village water supply before 1990. A health outcomes review examines a particular group of people as a whole to see how it compares to a group not living in the area of concern. It cannot link an environmental exposure to a specific health effect and it cannot tell us anything about individual health problems. This health review included data as early as 1980 (before there was any evidence of contamination) and as late as 2007. Even though the use of Modock Road Springs as a water source was stopped in 1990 after samples showed chemical contamination, some health effects, like cancer, may take many years to develop. Therefore, we looked at cancer as well as birth outcomes and birth defects for people who used Village water. We compared the number of these health outcomes for people who lived in Victor to people who lived in the rest of the state. The health outcomes comparison showed nothing unusual for any of the birth outcomes or cancer in general. One specific finding was noted. An excess of kidney cancer was observed in men, during the time period of 1994-2007. Although the kinds of chemical compounds that were detected in the Village water supply have been associated with kidney cancer in some other studies, there are many other factors that may also contribute to the development of kidney cancer, such as smoking, occupation, family history, obesity and hypertension. We do not know if these men had any of those risk factors. We encourage men and their families who may be concerned to share this information with their health care providers.