this study investigated whether residence in aberdeen , north carolina , the location of the aberdeen pesticides dumps site ( a national priority list superfund site containing organochlorine pesticides , volatile organic compounds , and metals ) , is associated with immune suppression as indicated by a higher incidence of herpes zoster and recent occurrences of other common infectious diseases . 
 study participants included 1,642 residents , 18 - 64 years of age , who responded to a telephone survey concerning potential occupational and recreational exposures to pesticides and other chemicals , lifetime history of herpes zoster ( shingles ) , and the recent occurrence of other common infectious diseases . 
 stratified and logistic regression analyses were used to compare the cumulative incidence of herpes zoster among aberdeen residents and residents of nearby communities . 
 there was little evidence of an overall increased risk of herpes zoster among aberdeen residents during the period 1951 - 1994 [ relative risk ( rr ) , 1.3 ; 95% confidence interval ( ci ) , 0.8 - 2.1 ] . 
 however , an elevated risk of herpes zoster was noted consistently among aberdeen residents of younger ages as compared to residents of the nearby communities . 
 the rr was 2.0 ( ci , 1.0 - 4.0 ) among those 18 - 40 years of age and was not affected by controlling for potential confounders . 
 the rr of herpes zoster was also consistently elevated in all age groups for the period before 1985 . 
 no differences were noted between residents of aberdeen and those of the nearby communities with respect to the recent occurrence of other common infectious diseases . 
 these results support the plausibility of an association between exposure to the aberdeen pesticides dumps site and immune suppression and the potential use of herpes zoster as a marker of immune suppression in studies of environmental chemical exposures.imagesfigure 1