4. Incidence analysis
Brief analysis of the data does not reveal any significant variation
in the number of cases reported in children in particular districts, with
the only observable effect being the increase in the incidence rate at
the beginning and end of the period of the study.
In 1995–1999, the incidence was noticeably higher in districts 25
and 29. Since then, the number of reported cases in these locations has
been on a steady increase (Table 1).
When analyzing the number of cancer cases in particular sexes
against the changes in pollution levels, it should be noted that the
incidence rates for girls in peripheral parts of the province were twice
as low as the ones for the center of the province (Table 2).
The increase in the incidence rate seems equally strong in the areas
of low and high lead pollution, yet the highest incidence was observed
in the central part of the province. No observable drop in incidence in
children was found, as compared to the beginning of the study period.