Mesothelioma in New York
Mesothelioma and New York have a long-standing relationship. According to the New York State Department of Health (citing NIOSH statistics), for 1989-90, New York had the second largest number of mesothelioma deaths and ranked first in years of potential life lost due to mesothelioma. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control, New York was ranked 12th in the nation for the incidence of mesothelioma in 2005. In that year, New York had a mesothelioma rate of 1.1 per 100,000 persons.1 This rate was smaller than all the other states in the Northeast. In fact, the four states in the country with the highest mesothelioma rates in 2005 were Rhode Island (rate of 1.7), Maine (rate of 1.7), New Jersey (rate of 1.6) and West Virginia (rate of 1.6). The number of mesothelioma cases in New York was nearly the same as the rate for the U.S. as a whole (1.1 per 100,000 persons). This would suggest that the number of mesothelioma diagnoses for New York has been steadily decreasing. This is good news.
But, the number of cases of mesothelioma is not homogenous throughout New York state. Below is a list of New York counties and their mesothelioma incidence rates.2 The ten New York counties with the highest rate of mesothelioma are: Lewis, Niagara, Cattaraugus, Oswego, Montgomery, Chenango, Steuben, Schuyler, Albany and Broome. The ten New York counties with the smallest rate of mesothelioma cases include: Franklin, New York, Clinton, Jefferson, Queens, Schoharie, Kings, Essex, Tioga, Tompkins. It should be noted that because of the small numbers, most of these figures are considered "unstable" by the New York State Department of Health.
| N.Y. County | Mesothelioma Rate |
| Albany | 24.3 |
| Allegany | 19 |
| Bronx | 9.6 |
| Broome | 23.2 |
| Cattaraugus | 41.8 |
| Cayuga | 17.9 |
| Chautauqua | 17.8 |
| Chemung | 11 |
| Chenango | 28.3 |
| Clinton | 8.7 |
| Columbia | 18.9 |
| Cortland | 9.9 |
| Delaware | 10 |
| Dutchess | 10.8 |
| Erie | 22.6 |
| Essex | 6.1 |
| Franklin | 9.3 |
| Fulton | 17.5 |
| Genesee | 20.8 |
| Greene | 19.3 |
| Hamilton | 0 |
| Herkimer | 19.1 |
| Jefferson | 8.7 |
| Kings | 7.3 |
| Lewis | 55.6 |
| Livingston | 18.6 |
| Madison | 13.8 |
| Monroe | 15.9 |
| Montgomery | 30 |
| Nassau | 16.9 |
| New York | 9.3 |
| Niagara | 53 |
| Oneida | 15.6 |
| Onondaga | 14.7 |
| Ontario | 9.4 |
| Orange | 11 |
| Orleans | 11.3 |
| Oswego | 33.9 |
| Ostego | 18.7 |
| Putnam | 17.4 |
| Queens | 8.3 |
| Rensselaer | 15.7 |
| Richmond | 14.5 |
| Rockland | 9.7 |
| St Lawrence | 15.1 |
| Saratoga | 19.4 |
| Schenectady | 14.9 |
| Schoharie | 7.4 |
| Schuyler | 25.1 |
| Seneca | 13.8 |
| Steuben | 27.5 |
| Suffolk | 12.1 |
| Sullivan | 19.2 |
| Tioga | 4.8 |
| Tompkins | 4.6 |
| Ulster | 17.1 |
| Warren | 18.3 |
| Washington | 19.1 |
| Wayne | 21.4 |
| Westchester | 9.9 |
| Wyoming | 11.2 |
| Yates | 10.1 |
The decrease in the number of mesothelioma diagnoses in New York, however, may be a short lived phenomenon. With the destruction of the World Trade Center (and Building number seven) on 9/11, a tremendous amount of asbestos was released into the air exposing rescue workers and residents. According to one study, asbestos levels ranged from 0.8% to 3.0% of the settled dust and smoke. These researchers concluded that there is a need to "have the interior of residences, buildings, and their respective HVAC systems professionally cleaned to reduce long-term residential risks before re-habitation."3 Discussing 9/11, another study has determined that the "future risk of mesothelioma may be increased, particularly among workers and volunteers exposed occupationally to asbestos."4
Fortunately for New York mesothelioma victims, N.Y. also contains some of the leading cancer hospitals in the country and a significant number of alternative and integrative cancer practitioners.
If you or someone you know was diagnosed with mesothelioma in New York and would like the names of physicians, alternative/complementary doctors, mesothelioma support groups or other New York mesothelioma resources please send us an email at: info@cancermonthly.com or call us at: 619-261-7922.
Endnotes
1Rates are per 100,000 persons (male and female and all races) and are age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population. Source: United States Cancer Statistics (USCS).
2 New York State Department of Health - County Health Assessment Indicators (CHAI): Incidence of Malignant Mesothelioma per 1,000,000 Persons Age 15+ (2001-05). Fewer than 20 events in the numerator; therefore the rate is unstable.
3 Lioy PJ, et al., Characterization of the dust/smoke aerosol that settled east of the World Trade Center (WTC) in lower Manhattan after the collapse of the WTC 11 September 2001. Environ Health Perspect. 2002 Jul;110(7):703-14.
4 Landrigan PJ, et al., Health and environmental consequences of the world trade center disaster. Environ Health Perspect. 2004 May;112(6):731-9.