In the 1970s and 1980s, Washington, D.C. residents were grappling with the dual challenges of rising cancer rates and the discovery of cancer-causing asbestos in schools. News articles from this period tell the story: Howard University developing a cancer curriculum to reduce risks through education (1980) and city initiatives offering free cancer screenings (1986). At the same time, asbestos—a known carcinogen—was found in D.C. schools, with news of warnings about unchecked hazards in private schools (1983) and the alarming discovery of asbestos in more than 160 schools (1984). By 1989, D.C. led the nation in cancer rates, but what does the data say?

We cannot yet determine whether asbestos exposure directly contributed to this increase, but we can infer that growing public concern about cancer may have made residents more attentive to environmental risks like asbestos in schools.

Through the D.C. Health Histories Project, we connect these archival records with data insights to build “data stories” that illuminate how health, environment, and structural inequities have shaped cancer outcomes in the District. This work aims not only to preserve history but also to better understand the roots of health disparities in our communities.