An investigation of the use of asbestos cement pipe for public water supply and the incidence of gastrointestinal cancer in Connecticut, 1935-1973.

The age adjusted sex specific incidence data for stomach, colon, and rectal cancer for Connecticut townships for the period 1935 to 1973 were used to investigate whether asbestos cement pipe usage for domestic drinking water is associated with gastrointestinal cancer. The townships were grouped according to the Assessment of Exposure (AOE) and Risk Factor (RF) for asbestos. These are composite indices of asbestos exposure including factors relating to the age of the pipe, the ability of water to leach asbestos from the pipe, and the length of pipes used by the population. No association was noted between these asbestos risk scores and gastrointestinal tumor incidence.