Air pollution may increase non-lung cancer risk in older adults: Study

A comprehensive study conducted on millions of Medicare beneficiaries in the US suggests that longterm exposure to fine particle air pollutants PM25 and nitrogen dioxide NO2 might elevate the risk of nonlung cancers among older adultsLed by researchers from Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health the study underscores that over a span of 10 years prolonged exposure to PM25 and NO2 could heighten the likelihood of developing colorectal and prostate cancersThe research recently featured in the journal Environmental Epidemiology further suggests that even low levels of air pollution exposure could render individuals more susceptible to the onset of these cancers as well as breast and endometrial cancersYaguang Wei a research fellow in the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard commented Our findings uncover the biological plausibility of air pollution as a crucial risk factor in the development of specific cancers bringing us one step closer to understanding the impact of air pollution on human healthWei emphasized the importance of addressing this issue for the sake of equitable access to clean air and advocated for a concerted effort in understanding and mitigating the effects of air pollutionThough air pollutions association with lung cancer is wellestablished its connection to breast cancer risk has been emerging However few studies have delved into its influence on the risk of prostate colorectal and endometrial cancersAlso readTrumps Iowa spectacle clouds DeSantis as former president is joined by Florida officialsThe research team analyzed data from the national Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 or older spanning from 2000 to 2016 All participants were cancerfree for a minimum of 10 years during the studys commencementDistinct cohorts were formed for each cancer type mdash breast colorectal endometrial and prostate mdash encompassing between 22 million and 65 million subjects in each groupEmploying diverse air pollution data sources the researchers constructed a predictive map depicting PM25 and NO2 concentrations throughout the US This map was then matched with beneficiaries residential ZIP codes to calculate individual exposures over a decadeThe analysis revealed that chronic PM25 and NO2 exposures amplified the risk of colorectal and prostate cancers while no correlation was observed with endometrial cancer riskRegarding breast cancer NO2 exposure correlated with an escalated risk whereas the association with PM25 was less conclusive the study notedThe research team posited that the varying associations could be attributed to the intricate composition of PM25 comprising a complex mix of solid and liquid particlesNotably when the analysis focused on regions where air pollution levels significantly adhered to national standards and PM25 composition remained stable the impact on breast cancer risk became more prominentMoreover stronger connections between both pollutants and endometrial cancer risk were discovered in areas with lower pollution levelsProfessor Joel Schwartz a senior author of the study and an environmental epidemiology expert at Harvard conveyed a critical message The key message here is that US air pollution standards are inadequate in protecting public health Unless all of these standards become much much stricter air pollution will continue to result in thousands of unnecessary cases of multiple cancers each year Agencies