PM2.5 and Cancer Cases

There are generally higher lung and bronchus cancer cases in counties with significant amounts of PM_2.5.

Total Population and Ethnic Distribution in Metropolitan Areas

The most populated counties within the metropolitan areas are predominantly people of color.

Within the metropolitan bivariate maps, the relationship between ethnic population and cancer cases is displayed by each specific demographic. In summary, the White population is over-representing cancer rates per capita in almost every county while the remaining ethnicities are underrepresented. There are cases in which the variables are proportional such as the Hispanic population in Dallas-Fort Worth, therefore contradicting the expected trend.

Statistical Relevance

Due to global events, collected air quality data for recent years is unreliable, thus our temporal focus has been limited to the year 2018. In addition to the lack of collective air quality data, the effects of the global pandemic, COVID-19, have greatly skewed the results of lung and bronchus cancer statistics. The most recent data for cancer statistics are listed in 2018 while a majority of PM_2.5 data stations primarily stopped recording data during COVID-19.

The Texas Cancer Registry had lung cancer data from 2018; however, some counties were not properly represented since counties with less than 16 cancer cases were not recorded.