Association between long-term exposure to particulate matter and childhood cancer: A retrospective cohort study

Jae Min Lee; Tae-Hee Lee; Soontae Kim; Minkyo Song; Sanghyuk Bae

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2021.112418

Association between long-term exposure to particulate matter and childhood cancer: A retrospective cohort study

Environ Res. 2022 Apr 1:205:112418. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.112418. Epub 2021 Nov 25.

Authors

Jae Min Lee¹, Tae-Hee Lee², Soontae Kim³, Minkyo Song⁴, Sanghyuk Bae⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu, South Korea.
² Department of Statistics and Data Science, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea.
³ Department of Environmental and Safety Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon, South Korea.
⁴ Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
⁵ Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea; Environmental Health Center, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea. Electronic address: sanghyukb@catholic.ac.kr.

PMID: 34838756
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.112418

Abstract

Background: Although particulate matter is a known carcinogen, its association with childhood cancer is inconclusive. The present study aimed to examine the association between long-term exposure to particulate matter and childhood cancer.

Methods: A retrospective cohort was constructed from the claims database of the Korea National Health Insurance Service, including children born in seven metropolitan cities in Korea between 2002 and 2012. Monthly mean concentrations of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter <10 μm (PM₁₀) and other air pollutants (NO₂, SO₂, CO, and O₃) were calculated using data from the AirKorea. Monthly mean concentrations of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter <2.5 μm (PM_2.5) were estimated based on a data fusion approach. Cumulative exposure was assessed by averaging the monthly concentrations accounting for the residential mobility of the children. The occurrence of cancer was identified by the appearance of diagnosis codes in the claims database. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated using Cox proportional regression, adjusting for potential confounders and O₃ concentrations.

Results: During the study period, 1,725 patients were newly diagnosed with cancer among 1,261,855 children. HR of all cancers per 10 μg/m³ increment in annual mean concentrations of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ were 3.02 (95% CI: 1.63, 5.59) and 1.04 (0.74, 1.45), respectively.

Conclusion: PM_2.5 exposure was positively associated with childhood cancer in a large retrospective cohort with exposure assessment accounting for residential mobility.

Keywords: Air pollution; Childhood cancer; Cohort.

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants* / analysis
Air Pollution* / analysis
Child
Cohort Studies
Environmental Exposure / analysis
Humans
Neoplasms* / chemically induced
Neoplasms* / epidemiology
Particulate Matter / analysis
Retrospective Studies

Substances

Air Pollutants
Particulate Matter