N.Y. Public Health Law § 2401-b: Cancer incidence and environmental facility maps

* § 2401-b. Cancer incidence and environmental facility maps. 1. For

purposes of this section, "environmental facility" shall have the same

meaning as provided in section 3-0317 of the environmental conservation

law.

2. For purposes of this section, "cancer incidence and environmental

facility maps technical advisory group" or "technical advisory group"

shall mean the environmental public health tracking program technical

advisory group required by a cooperative agreement between the

department and the federal centers for disease control and prevention.

3. The technical advisory group shall make recommendations to the

department on the appropriate use and communication of the cancer

incidence and environmental facility maps. Such recommendations shall

consider the scientific strengths and limitations of such mapping and

overlay methodologies for cancer tracking and geospatial linking to

significant disease risk factors, and the appropriate means for

communicating such strengths and limitation to the public in an easily

discernible manner. The department shall consider the recommendations of

the technical advisory group when making the maps required by this

section available to the public.

4. The department, in consultation with the department of

environmental conservation and the technical advisory group, shall

establish and maintain a computer mapping system for plotting cancer

incidence and environmental facilities throughout the state, including

but not limited to cancer clusters. Such maps shall overlay locations of

environmental facilities with cancer incidences.

5. Cancer incidence and environmental facility maps shall include data

on the incidence of the following cancer types:

(a) lung and bronchus;

(b) female breast;

(c) urinary bladder (including in situ);

(d) brain and other nervous system;

(e) colon and rectum;

(f) non-Hodgkin lymphomas;

(g) leukemias;

(h) thyroid;

(i) liver/intrahepatic bile duct;

(j) kidney and renal pelvis;

(k) prostate;

(l) oral cavity and pharynx;

(m) stomach;

(n) esophagus;

(o) larynx;

(p) pancreas;

(q) corpus uterus;

(r) ovary;

(s) testis;

(t) mesothelioma;

(u) bone;

(v) nasal and nasopharynx; and

(w) soft tissue sarcomas.

6. Plotting of data for cancer incidence and environmental facility

maps shall be by census block, except in cases where such plotting could

disclose the identity of any person to whom the data relate, in which

case census blocks shall be aggregated for plotting to protect the

identity of such person. When such aggregation is required, the

department shall utilize the minimum number of census blocks practicable

to protect the identity of such person.

7. By March first, two thousand eleven the department shall make

available to the public information on cancer as designated by the

environmental public health tracking program of the centers for disease

control and prevention, and, in consultation with the department of

environmental conservation, current data on locations and type of

environmental facilities.

8. By June thirtieth, two thousand eleven the department shall make

available to the public cancer incidence and environmental facility maps

which show available information on the location of environmental

facilities and the total number of reported cancers by census block and

associated data for each reported cancer type listed in subdivision five

of this section.

9. The department shall make available to the public cancer incidence

and environmental facility maps in the manner described in subdivision

four of this section showing cancer clusters by cancer types. Prior to

plotting such data, the department shall use an appropriate statistical

method to detect statistical anomalies for the purpose of identifying

cancer clusters.

The department shall make such maps available on its public website,

and shall, in consultation with the department of environmental

conservation, update the maps not less than once every five years.

* NB Repealed May 1, 2028