Does Traffic Air Pollution Cause Cervical and Brain Cancer?

Image via WikipediaAir pollution from traffic and cancer incidence: a Danish cohort study (33 page pdf, Ole Raaschou-Nielsen, Zorana J Andersen, Martin Hvidberg, Steen S Jensen, Matthias Ketzel, Mette Sorensen, Johnni Hansen, Steffen Loft, Kim Overvad and Anne Tjonneland, Environmental Health 2011, 10:67, Jul. 19, 2011)

The article reviewed today looks at exposure to traffic–related air pollution and its impact on various organs in addition to the well-studied impact on the heart and respiratory system. The conclusions indicate a significant link to cervical and brain cancer as well as impacts on the liver and kidney.

Key Quotes:

“Ultrafine particles, < 100 nm in diameter… constitute about 50% of the total surface area of deposited particles in the lung [4]. The airways are the primary target organs, ..ultrafine particles can translocate to other organs, such as the liver, kidneys, heart and brain”

“Air pollution at a location is calculated as the sum of three contributors:

1. local air pollution from street traffic, calculated from input data on traffic (intensity and type), emission factors for the car fleet, street and building geometry, and meteorology;
2. urban background, calculated from data on urban vehicle emission density, city dimensions, and building heights; and
3. regional background, estimated from trends at rural monitoring stations and from national vehicle emissions”

“This study shows an exposure–response association between concentration of NOx at residence and risk for cervical cancer”

“We found an exposure–response association between NOx at the residence and risk for brain cancer, which was almost doubled for people living close to a street with high traffic density”

“the risk for kidney cancer increased with NOx concentration at the residence”

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