Multivariate Relationships between Soil Composition and Human Mortality Rates in Missouri

Abstract

P re m atu re d ea th am ong hum an s in the state of M issouri ap p ears to have little relatio n to the com position of soils in the vicinity of th e ir usual residency. O u r conclusion contrasts w ith a considerable p a rt of th e literatu re, which implies th a t soil is a factor affecting h u m a n health. T h e difference may arise eith er because people living in a given env iro n m en t may not expose them selves in such a way as to be affected by the soil o r because o th e r im p o rta n t factors may overshadow th e effect of soils.O th e r studies have suggested a correlation betw een th e incidence of eith er h u m a n disease o r h u m a n m ortality an d soil characteristics. Most correlations have b een of th e simple bivariate type. T h e o p p o rtu n ity for a m ultivariate study has arisen only with the availability of chem ical d ata on soils an d m ortality rates of h u m an s from a com m on area.T h e distribution of elem ents in M issouri soils exhibits some regional p attern , b u t m ortality distribution p attern s are not regionally distinct. T h erefo re, stepwise m ultiple regression is used to d efin e possible subtle relationships. T his m ultivariate search tool identifies w hich of the 32 elem ents m easured in 1,140 soil sam ples collected th ro u g h o u t M issouri best relate to h u m a n m ortality risk. D ifferences in age, sex, an d race are closely associated with m ortality risk; adju stm en ts for these factors have been m ade by d irect m ethods. T h e re is a possibility th a t o th e r

Geochemical survey of Missouri

“…One of the original motivations for conducting this study was to provide geochemical information toward understanding the role of the environment in the health and nutrition of animals and humans (Connor and others, 1972;Miesch, 1976c). Because diseases and premature mortality exhibit a geographic distribution (Sauer and Donnell, 1970), it is appealing to presume that soils may have a role (this is supported by an extensive literature, for example, Armstrong, 1962Armstrong, , 1964Losee, 1962), but no significant relationship was found between soil composition and human-mortality rates in Missouri (Tidball and Sauer, 1975). Perhaps a more sensitive experiment using only the t!Xtreme soil types as identified by this study would provide an alternative conclusion.…”

The effect of geochemical factors on prevalences of dental diseases for prehistoric inhabitants of the state of Missouri

“…Trace element levels in soil may affect trace element levels in drinking water and locally grown food and may become contaminants in the forms of waterborne and airborne dust. Depending upon its content, soil may also provide optimum environments for various pathogenic organisms (Tidball and Sauer, 1975). For example, Page and Schroeder (1982) commented that in some Blackface sheep flocks in Scotland there is a higher incidence of periodontal disease than in other flocks and that the incidence of periodontal disease seems to be related to the type of soil on which the animals graze.…”