NEWS RELEASE
March 2, 1999

Department of Community Health Study on Screening for Bladder Cancer

Michigan Department of Community Health Director James K. Haveman, Jr., today released a study by the Department and Michigan State University which shows self-testing for hematuria (blood or red blood cells in urine) appears to have little value in screening for bladder cancer in the general population. The study was conducted in Adrian, Kalamazoo and Muskegon. These three communities have factories that manufacture or use chemicals that may cause bladder cancer. A facility in Adrian manufactured 4,4' -methylene-BIS (2 - chloroaniline), or MBOCA. In Kalamazoo a facility used MBOCA in production, and in Muskegon a facility manufactured benzidine and dichlorobenzidine.

Workers at these facilities, their family members, and community residents living around the manufacturing plants were asked to participate in the study. Of the 2,492 persons invited to be in the study, 611 persons actually enrolled, yielding a participation rate of 24.5%.

Participants were asked to test their own urine for blood each day for two weeks, repeated at 6 month intervals. Nearly half (47.5%) of the exposed participants found blood in their urine, but this was less than those who found blood in urine in a participating "control" community with no potential exposure to these substances. More women (57.4%) than men (35.2%) detected hematuria during the study. No bladder cancer cases were diagnosed among those with blood in urine and, no medical reason for blood in urine could be found in 60% of those individuals whose self-test was positive. This held true irrespective of the number of days blood in urine was found, the amount of blood in the urine, or the number or types of follow-up medical tests performed by their physician.

The study was limited by the relatively low participation rate and lack of follow up of those individuals who had moved out of the study sites. Therefore, no definitive conclusions about the overall risk of bladder cancer to the workers, their family members or community residents could be made.

The entire Public Comment Draft of the Study entitled, "Self-Testing for Hematuria Among a Population of Community Residents, Workers and Family Members with Potential Exposure to Bladder Carcinogens at Three Locations in Michigan," is available in each of the three study sites. In Adrian the study is available at City Hall and at the City Library, in Muskegon at the Muskegon County Library and at Hackley Library, and in Kalamazoo at City Hall and the Kalamazoo and Portage Public Libraries.

A public comment period runs through March 31, 1999 during which comments and questions in writing or by phone are welcome. Public questions and comments should be directed to Dr. David Wade, Division of Environmental Epidemiology, Michigan Department of Community Health, PO Box 30195, Lansing, Michigan 48909; or call Dr. Wade at the Toxic and Health Hotline at 1-800-648-6942.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Geralyn Lasher
March 2, 1999 (517) 241-2112