shares

AP Photo/David Grubbs
Staten Island's cancer problem
Cancer rates on Staten Island have been consistently higher than any other
borough in New York City, according to NYS Department of Health statistics.
In the most recent available cancer data from 2014, Staten Island had
2,781 reported incidences of cancer out of 38,838 total in New York City.

That means that Staten Island accounted for 7.16 percent of all New York
City cancer incidences in 2014, despite only accounting for 5.5 percent of
the city's total population.
AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews
Cancer rates per 100,000
The cancer rates on Staten Island per 100,000 people were 536.2 for males
and 482.4 for females in 2014.

NYS Cancer Registry

Rates well above NYC average
The male rates on Staten Island were 13.48 percent higher than the rates
for New York City as a whole, which were 472.5 per 100,000.

The rates for females on Staten Island were 18.53 percent higher than the
rates for New York City as a whole, which were 407.0 per 100,000.

NYS Cancer Registry

Significantly higher than lowest-ranking borough
The male rates on Staten Island were 21.23 percent higher than in Queens,
which had the lowest rate of any borough, at 442.3 per 100,000.

The rates for females on Staten Island were 23.82 percent higher than in
Queens, which had the lowest rate of any borough, at 389.6 per 100,000.

NYS Cancer Registry

Male cancer rates throughout the years
Cancer rates for males on Staten Island have been higher than the rates
for New York City as a whole every year -- besides 1994 -- since 1976, the
first year that the NYS Department of Health began tracking the data.

NYS Cancer Registry

Female cancer rates throughout the years
For females, cancer rates on Staten Island have been higher than the rates
throughout New York City since 1982.
New York City Environment & Health Data Portal
Bladder cancer
Data from the New York City Environment & Health Data Portal shows that
Staten Island's bladder cancer rates per 100,000 were 50.28 percent
higher than New York City as a whole from 2007 to 2011.
Bladder cancer begins when cells in the urinary bladder start to grow
uncontrollably. As more cancer cells develop, they can form a tumor and
spread to other areas of the body.
New York City Environment & Health Data Portal
Breast cancer
Breast cancer rates among women older than 50 on Staten Island
were 14.97 percent higher than New York City as a whole from 2007 to
2011.
Breast cancer starts when cells in the breast begin to grow out of control.
These cells usually form a tumor that can often be seen on an X-ray or felt
as a lump.

Breast cancer occurs almost entirely in women, but men can get breast
cancer, too.
New York City Environment & Health Data Portal
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer rates on Staten Island were 10.37 percent higher than
New York City as a whole from 2007 to 2011.
The exocrine cells and endocrine cells of the pancreas form different types
of tumors. It’s very important to know if the cancer in the pancreas is an
exocrine or endocrine cancer. They have distinct risk factors and causes,
have different signs and symptoms, are diagnosed with different tests, are
treated in different ways and have different outlooks.
New York City Environment & Health Data Portal
Thyroid cancer
Thyroid cancer rates on Staten Island were 69.36 percent higher than New
York City as a whole from 2007 to 2011.
Many types of growths and tumors can develop in the thyroid gland. Most
of these are benign (non-cancerous), but others are malignant (cancerous).
Annalise Knudson
Possible causes
There are a variety of possible causes for the increased cancer rates on
Staten Island, including landfill contamination, high smoking rates and New
Jersey pollution.
Advance file photo
Landfill contamination
Councilman Joseph Borelli and Minority Leader Steven Matteo have called
for the city to conduct a comprehensive, third-party study of the possible
health threats presented by the Fresh Kills Landfill site.
"We acknowledged that there were health risks associated with Fresh Kills
when we closed it," said Borelli.

Matteo told the Advance in May: "There should be a study and we should
find out what effects the dump had, and then use that as a road map to
provide services for Staten Islanders."

The chemicals and emissions from landfills designed without a protective

liner can seep into the ground and surrounding water supplies causing
various health risks.

Borelli's office compiled a preliminary report exploring some of the health

implications of the Fresh Kills Landfill that can be found here.
AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza
Smoking rates
Another possible reason for Staten Island's increased cancer rates are
historically higher smoking rates in the borough, as opposed to the rest of
the city.

To this day, Staten Island remains the highest smoking borough in the city,
with 17.4 percent of Staten Island adults smoking, according
to nycsmokefree.org.
The smoker rate for New York City as a whole is 14.3 percent, with
Manhattan having the lowest percentage of smokers at 12.9 percent of
residents.