Kids & Family

1990s Cancer Data Taking Longer to Compile Than Initially Predicted

Data for the 1990s and new data for the 2000s will be released in the coming weeks.

The Minnesota Department of Health is undergoing a thorough examination of cancer data in Fridley in the 1990s and 2000s, but complicated geographic borders related to changing census tracts mean that final figures will take longer than initially predicted to compile.

State epidemiologist John Soler said he expects to have cancer figures for the 1990s in the next couple weeks.

About two weeks ago, prompted by the request of a member of the Fridley Cancer Cluster Facebook group, Soler released data that showed Fridley’s .

Soler is now re-examining the 2000s data and expects to have new numbers available within roughly the same timeframe as the 1990s numbers. He said he thinks the initial 2000s data may have overstated Fridley’s cancer rates by underestimating its population, and he’s now comparing census figures with other documents, such as mortality records and school populations, to gain a more accurate view.

Soler said the difficulty in measuring Fridley’s cancer figures in the 1990s stems from the fact that census tracts were readjusted in 2000, and he plans on looking at the 55432 and 55421 zip codes for the years 1988 through 2000.

Soler said he is also looking at cancer rates in neighboring communities to Fridley such as Northeast Minneapolis, New Brighton and Coon Rapids.


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