Exploring the Link Between Nitrate Exposure and Thyroid Cancer: A Nationwide State-Level Analysis
Description
Thyroid cancer incidence has been increasing, raising concerns about potential contributory environmental factors. We aim to investigate the role of nitrate contamination in drinking water as a potential risk factor. This study is a population-based analysis quantifying the association between nitrate exposure and early-onset thyroid cancer using data from the National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) via the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)*Stat statistical software. Our nationwide study includes data from all 50 states in the U.S., providing a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between nitrate contamination in drinking water and thyroid cancer incidence. We included participants, aged 0 – 59, who were diagnosed with thyroid cancer between 2003 and 2022. States were categorized into groups based on their nitrate levels: those with levels below 2.0 mg/L were classified as “Low Nitrate” states, and those with levels of 2.0 mg/L or higher as “High Nitrate” states. Incidence rates of thyroid cancer were analyzed, with participants grouped by age and sex. Adjustments were made to account for obesity and access to screening. We did not find any statistically significant differences between high and low nitrate states for the age groups of 0 to 14 or 40 to 59. However, for those between the ages of 15-39 there were 41.6 (CI: 6.2,77.1) more cases for those in high nitrate states. Our research found that the incidence rate per 100,000 population of developing thyroid cancer was consistently higher in those aged 15-39 with high nitrate exposure compared to those with low nitrate exposure.
Citation Information
Zanazanian, Christina and Semprini, Jason, "Exploring the Link Between Nitrate Exposure and Thyroid Cancer: A Nationwide State-Level Analysis" (2026). Office of Research DMU Research Symposium. 12.
https://digitalcommons.dmu.edu/researchsymposium/2025rs/2025abstracts/12
Exploring the Link Between Nitrate Exposure and Thyroid Cancer: A Nationwide State-Level Analysis
Thyroid cancer incidence has been increasing, raising concerns about potential contributory environmental factors. We aim to investigate the role of nitrate contamination in drinking water as a potential risk factor. This study is a population-based analysis quantifying the association between nitrate exposure and early-onset thyroid cancer using data from the National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) via the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)*Stat statistical software. Our nationwide study includes data from all 50 states in the U.S., providing a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between nitrate contamination in drinking water and thyroid cancer incidence. We included participants, aged 0 – 59, who were diagnosed with thyroid cancer between 2003 and 2022. States were categorized into groups based on their nitrate levels: those with levels below 2.0 mg/L were classified as “Low Nitrate” states, and those with levels of 2.0 mg/L or higher as “High Nitrate” states. Incidence rates of thyroid cancer were analyzed, with participants grouped by age and sex. Adjustments were made to account for obesity and access to screening. We did not find any statistically significant differences between high and low nitrate states for the age groups of 0 to 14 or 40 to 59. However, for those between the ages of 15-39 there were 41.6 (CI: 6.2,77.1) more cases for those in high nitrate states. Our research found that the incidence rate per 100,000 population of developing thyroid cancer was consistently higher in those aged 15-39 with high nitrate exposure compared to those with low nitrate exposure.
