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Ambient air pollution and brain cancer mortality

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Abstract

Objective

Growing evidence that ultrafine particles in ambient air can cause brain lesions in animals led us to investigate whether particulate components of air pollution may be associated with brain cancer risk in humans. Air pollution has been associated with respiratory disorders and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, but associations between air pollutants and brain cancer have not been investigated in adults.

Methods

The analyses included 1,284 deaths due to brain cancer from the Cancer Prevention Study-II, an ongoing prospective mortality study of adults in the United States and Puerto Rico conducted by the American Cancer Society. Air pollution data from national databases for metropolitan areas were combined with residential history and vital status data to estimate exposure to particulate and gaseous air pollution.

Results

We found no elevated risk for estimated measures of air pollutants, an unanticipated reduction in risk was found between gaseous air pollutants and brain cancer mortality.

Conclusion

The findings do not provide evidence of increased risk of brain cancer mortality due to air pollutants.

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Financial support

Supported by funding from the NIEHS (grant number 5P30 ES07048) to the Southern California Environmental Health Science Center (SCEHSC) and The Brain Tumor and Air Pollution Foundation of the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) (grant number BTAP002) and the Ron Ross MD, Memorial Cancer Research Fund at the University of Southern California Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, 1441 Eastlake Avenue MS/44 Room 4419, Los Angeles, CA, 90089-9175, USA

    Roberta McKean-Cowdin, John M. Peters & Susan Preston-Martin

  2. American Cancer Society, National Home Office, 1599 Clifton Road, NE, Atlanta, GA, 30329-4251, USA

    Eugenia E. Calle, Jane Henley, Lindsay Hannan & Michael J. Thun

  3. NYU School of Medicine, 57 Old Forge Road, SLF Room 270, Tuxedo, NY, 10487, USA

    George D. Thurston

Authors
  1. Roberta McKean-Cowdin
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  2. Eugenia E. Calle
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  3. John M. Peters
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  4. Jane Henley
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  5. Lindsay Hannan
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  6. George D. Thurston
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  7. Michael J. Thun
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  8. Susan Preston-Martin
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Correspondence to Roberta McKean-Cowdin.

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McKean-Cowdin, R., Calle, E.E., Peters, J.M. et al. Ambient air pollution and brain cancer mortality. Cancer Causes Control 20, 1645–1651 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-009-9412-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-009-9412-1

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