Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Chiayi, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taiwan.
J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2011;74(12):769-78. doi: 10.1080/15287394.2011.567951.
The objective of this study was to (1) examine the relationship between nitrate (NO₃-N) levels in public water supplies and risk of death from childhood brain tumors (CBT) and (2) determine whether calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) levels in drinking water might modify the effects of NO₃-N on development of CBT. A matched cancer case-control study was used to investigate the relationship between the risk of death attributed to CBT and exposure to NO₃-N in drinking water in Taiwan. All CBT deaths of Taiwan residents from 1999 through 2008 were obtained from the Bureau of Vital Statistics of the Taiwan Provincial Department of Health. Controls were deaths from other causes and were pair-matched to the cases by gender, year of birth, and year of death. Information on the levels of nitrate-nitrogen NO₃-N, Ca, and Mg in drinking water were collected from Taiwan Water Supply Corporation. The municipality of residence for CBT cases and controls was presumed to be the source of the subject's NO₃-N, Ca, and Mg exposure via drinking water. Relative to individuals whose NO₃-N exposure level was ≤ 0.31 ppm, and the adjusted odds ration (OR) (95% confidence interval [CI]) for CBT occurrence was 1.4 (1.07-1.84) for individuals who resided in municipalities served by drinking water with a NO₃-N exposure > 0.31 ppm. No significant effect modification was observed by Ca and Mg intake via drinking water. Data suggest that exposure to NO₃-N in drinking water is associated with a higher risk of CBT development in Taiwan.
(1) 检验公共供水系统中硝酸盐（NO₃-N）水平与儿童脑肿瘤（CBT）死亡风险之间的关系；(2) 确定饮用水中钙（Ca）和镁（Mg）水平是否可能改变 NO₃-N 对 CBT 发生的影响。采用匹配病例对照研究，调查台湾地区饮用水中 NO₃-N 暴露与 CBT 发病风险之间的关系。通过台湾省卫生署生命统计处获得所有台湾居民的 CBT 死亡病例，研究时间为 1999 年至 2008 年。对照组为其他死因死亡病例，按性别、出生年份和死亡年份与病例相匹配。饮用水中硝酸盐氮（NO₃-N）、Ca 和 Mg 水平的信息来自台湾自来水公司。假设 CBT 病例和对照的居住地的市政当局是通过饮用水暴露于其 NO₃-N、Ca 和 Mg 的来源。与 NO₃-N 暴露水平≤0.31ppm 的个体相比，居住在饮用水中 NO₃-N 暴露>0.31ppm 的市政当局的个体发生 CBT 的调整后比值比（OR）（95%置信区间[CI]）为 1.4（1.07-1.84）。通过饮用水摄入 Ca 和 Mg 未观察到显著的效应修饰作用。数据表明，饮用水中 NO₃-N 的暴露与台湾 CBT 发生的风险增加有关。
