Health Report: May 2, 1994

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THE GOOD NEWS

-- A study supporting the efficacy of breast-conserving surgery (partial mastectomy, lumpectomy) for cancer patients was questioned after revelations that some of the data had been falsified. But new research confirms that, other factors being equal, survival rates after the less disfiguring procedures are at least as good as rates after total mastectomy.

-- Contrary to earlier findings, a large-scale study shows no association between the pesticide DDT and breast cancer.

-- Researchers now believe that blood tests to detect fetuses with Down syndrome are useful alternatives to amniocentesis, which increases the risk of miscarriage.

THE BAD NEWS

-- Submersible well pumps with brass parts may contain high levels of lead, according to a recent report. Because lead can cause birth defects and brain damage in children, the Environmental Protection Agency advises people who use a submersible pump to have their water tested and to consider switching to bottled drinking water until the results are in. About 6 million such pumps are used in the U.S.

-- Despite advances in the detection and treatment of breast cancer, a new report shows the death rate from the disease among black women rose sharply (21%) from 1980 to 1991, while the rate for white women increased less than 1%. A major factor: lack of access to adequate care.

Sources -- GOOD: Journal of the American Medical Association; Journal of the National Cancer Institute; New England Journal of Medicine

BAD: Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Defense Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, A.P.