Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Exposure to traffic emissions throughout life and risk of breast cancer: the Western New York Exposures and Breast Cancer (WEB) study

  • Original Research
  • Published:
Cancer Causes & Control Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

We previously reported that total suspended particulates exposure (a measure of air pollution) at the time of birth was related to increased postmenopausal breast cancer risk. In this study, we examined breast cancer risk in relation to exposure to air pollution from traffic emissions throughout life.

Methods

We conducted a case–control study of breast cancer. Participants were women, aged 35–79, residents of Erie and Niagara Counties. Cases had incident, primary, histologically confirmed breast cancer. Controls were randomly selected from the population, frequency-matched on age and race. Using lifetime residential histories, exposure to traffic emissions was modeled for each woman using her residence as a proxy. Estimates were calculated for residence at menarche, her first birth, and 20 and 10 years before interview. Unconditional logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Results

Higher exposure to traffic emissions at the time of menarche was associated with increased risk of premenopausal breast cancer (OR 2.05, 95% CI 0.92–4.54, p for trend 0.03); and at the time of a woman’s first birth for postmenopausal breast cancer (OR 2.57, 95% CI 1.16–5.69, p for trend 0.19). Statistically significant associations were limited to lifetime non-smokers; there was a significant interaction between exposure at time of menarche and smoking for premenopausal women.

Conclusion

Our findings add to accumulating evidence that early life exposures impact breast cancer risk and provide indication of potential importance of traffic emissions in risk of breast cancer.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. John EM, Kelsey JL (1993) Radiation and other environmental exposures and breast cancer. Epidemiol Rev 15:157–162

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Madigan MP, Ziegler RG, Benichou J, Byrne C, Hoover RN (1995) Proportion of breast cancer cases in the United States explained by well-established risk factors. J Natl Cancer Inst 87:1681–1685

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Laden F, Hunter DJ (1998) Environmental risk factors and female breast cancer. Annu Rev Public Health 19:101–123

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Althuis MD, Dozier JM, Anderson WF, Devesa SS, Brinton LA (2005) Global trends in breast cancer incidence and mortality 1973–1997. Int J Epidemiol 34:405–412

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Bray F, McCarron P, Parkin DM (2004) The changing global patterns of female breast cancer incidence and mortality. Breast Cancer Res 6:229–239

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Blot WJ, Fraumeni JF Jr, Stone BJ (1977) Geographic patterns of breast cancer in the United States. J Natl Cancer Inst 59:1407–1411

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Kelsey JL, Berkowitz GS (1988) Breast cancer epidemiology. Cancer Res 48:5615–5623

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Nasca PC, Mahoney MC, Wolfgang PE (1992) Population density and cancer incidence differentials in New York State, 1978–1982. Cancer Causes Control 3:7–15

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Kulldorff M, Feuer EJ, Miller BA, Freedman LS (1997) Breast cancer clusters in the northeast United States: a geographic analysis. Am J Epidemiol 146:161–170

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Sturgeon SR, Graubard BI, Schairer C et al (2003) Population-density and county-level variation in breast cancer mortality rates among white women residing in the Northeastern and Southern United States. Cancer Causes Control 14:923–931

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Sturgeon SR, Schairer C, Gail M et al (1995) Geographic variation in mortality from breast cancer among white women in the United States. J Natl Cancer Inst 87:1846–1853

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Savitz DA, Feingold L (1989) Association of childhood cancer with residential traffic density. Scand J Work Environ Health 15:360–363

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Pearson RL, Wachtel H, Ebi KL (2000) Distance-weighted traffic density in proximity to a home is a risk factor for leukemia and other childhood cancers. J Air Waste Manag Assoc 50:175–180

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Lewis-Michl EL, Melius JM, Kallenbach LR et al (1996) Breast cancer risk and residence near industry or traffic in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, Long Island, New York. Arch Environ Health 51:255–265

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Potischman N, Troisi R (1999) In-utero and early life exposures in relation to risk of breast cancer. Cancer Causes Control 10:561–573

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Mole RH (1978) The sensitivity of the human breast to cancer induction by ionizing radiation. Br J Radiol 51:401–405

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Russo J, Russo IH (2004) Molecular basis of breast cancer. Springer, Heidelberg, Germany

    Google Scholar 

  18. Bonner MR, Han D, Nie J et al (2005) Breast cancer risk and exposure in early life to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons using total suspended particulates as a proxy measure. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 14:53–60

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Han D, Rogerson PA, Nie J et al (2004) Geographic clustering of residence in early life and subsequent risk of breast cancer (United States). Cancer Causes Control 15:921–929

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Bonner MR, Han D, Nie J et al (2003) Positional accuracy of geocoded addresses in epidemiologic research. Epidemiology 14:408–412

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Beyea J, Hatch M, Stellman SD et al (2006) Validation and calibration of a model used to reconstruct historical exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons for use in epidemiologic studies. Environ Health Perspect 114:1053–1058

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Beyea J, Hatch M, Stellman DH, Teitelbaum SL, Gammon MD (2005) Development of a traffic model for predicting airborne PAH exposures since 1960 on Long Island, New York. Report to the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for work completed under USPHS Grant U01-CA/ES-66572. Lambertville, NJ 08530:Consulting in the Public Interest. Available: http://www.cipi.com/PDF/beyea2005trafficpahmodel.pdf [accessed 1 July 2005]

  23. Li D, Wang M, Dhingra K, Hittelman WN (1996) Aromatic DNA adducts in adjacent tissues of breast cancer patients: clues to breast cancer etiology. Cancer Res 56:287–293

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Li D, Wang M, Firozi PF et al (2002) Characterization of a major aromatic DNA adduct detected in human breast tissues. Environ Mol Mutagen 39:193–200

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Rundle A, Tang D, Hibshoosh H et al (2000) The relationship between genetic damage from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in breast tissue and breast cancer. Carcinogenesis 21:1281–1289

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Gammon MD, Santella RM, Neugut AI et al (2002) Environmental toxins and breast cancer on Long Island. I. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon DNA adducts. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 11:677–685

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Palmer JR, Rosenberg L (1993) Cigarette smoking and the risk of breast cancer. Epidemiol Rev 15:145–156

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Bonner MR, Nie J, Han D et al (2005) Secondhand smoke exposure in early life and the risk of breast cancer among never smokers (United States). Cancer Causes Control 16:683–689

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Olson JE, Vachon CM, Vierkant RA et al (2005) Prepregnancy exposure to cigarette smoking and subsequent risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. Mayo Clin Proc 80:1423–1428

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Li C, Malone K, Daling J (2005) The relationship between various measures of cigarette smoking and risk of breast cancer among older women 65–79 years of age (United States). Cancer Causes Control 16:975–985

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Gram I, Braaten T, Terry P et al (2005) Breast cancer risk among women who start smoking as teenagers. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 14:61–66

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Palmer JR, Wise L, Adams-Campbell L, Rosenberg L (2005) Cigarette smoking and risk of breast cancer in the black women’s health study. Am J Epidemiol 161:S55

    Google Scholar 

  33. Cantor KP, Stewart PA, Brinton LA, Dosemeci M (1995) Occupational exposures and female breast cancer mortality in the United States. J Occup Environ Med 37:336–348

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Petralia SA, Vena JE, Freudenheim JL et al (1999) Risk of premenopausal breast cancer in association with occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and benzene. Scand J Work Environ Health 25:215–221

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Brunekreef B, Janssen NA, de Hartog J et al (1997) Air pollution from truck traffic and lung function in children living near motorways. Epidemiology 8:298–303

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Wyler C, Braun-Fahrlander C, Kunzli N et al (2000) Exposure to motor vehicle traffic and allergic sensitization. The Swiss Study on Air Pollution and Lung Diseases in Adults (SAPALDIA) Team. Epidemiology 11:450–456

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Reynolds P, Von Behren J, Gunier RB, Goldberg DE, Hertz A (2004) Residential exposure to traffic in California and childhood cancer. Epidemiology 15:6–12

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Visser O, van Wijnen JH, van Leeuwen FE (2004) Residential traffic density and cancer incidence in amsterdam, 1989–1997. Cancer Causes Control 15:331–339

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Langholz B, Ebi KL, Thomas DC, Peters JM, London SJ (2002) Traffic density and the risk of childhood leukemia in a Los Angeles case–control study. Ann Epidemiol 12:482–487

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. English P, Neutra R, Scalf R et al (1999) Examining associations between childhood asthma and traffic flow using a geographic information system. Environ Health Perspect 107:761–767

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Reynolds P, Elkin E, Scalf R, Von Behren J, Neutra RR (2001) A case–control pilot study of traffic exposures and early childhood leukemia using a geographic information system. Bioelectromagnetics Suppl 5:S58–S68

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. Hirsch T, Neumeister V, Weiland SK et al (2000) Traffic exposure and allergic sensitization against latex in children. J Allergy Clin Immunol 106:573–578

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  43. Beyea J (1999) Geographic exposure modeling: a valuable extension of geographic information systems for use in environmental epidemiology. Environ Health Perspect 107 (Suppl 1): 181–190

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Raaschou-Nielsen O, Hertel O, Vignati E et al (2000) An air pollution model for use in epidemiological studies: evaluation with measured levels of nitrogen dioxide and benzene. J Expo Anal Environ Epidemiol 10:4–14

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work has been supported in part by U.S. Army Medical Research Grants #DAMD170010417 and #DAMD179616202, NCI Grant #1R21CA8713801, and NIH Grant #5RO1CA092040.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Health Professions, 270 Farber Hall, University at Buffalo, 3435 Main St., Buffalo, NY, 14214, USA

    Jing Nie, Matthew R. Bonner, Daikwon Han, Dominica Vito, Maurizio Trevisan & Jo L. Freudenheim

  2. Consulting in the Public Interest, Lambertville, NJ, 08530, USA

    Jan Beyea

  3. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    John E. Vena

  4. Department of Geography, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14214, USA

    Peter Rogerson

  5. Department of Epidemiology, IFO-Italian National Cancer Institute Regina Elena, Roma, Italy

    Paola Muti

  6. Department of Breast and Soft Tissue Surgery, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY, 14263, USA

    Stephen B. Edge

Authors
  1. Jing Nie
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jan Beyea
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Matthew R. Bonner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Daikwon Han
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. John E. Vena
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Peter Rogerson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Dominica Vito
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Paola Muti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Maurizio Trevisan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Stephen B. Edge
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Jo L. Freudenheim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jing Nie.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Nie, J., Beyea, J., Bonner, M.R. et al. Exposure to traffic emissions throughout life and risk of breast cancer: the Western New York Exposures and Breast Cancer (WEB) study. Cancer Causes Control 18, 947–955 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-007-9036-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-007-9036-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation