Open AccessOutdoor particulate matter (PM10) exposure and lung cancer risk in the EAGLE study
Author(s) -
Dario Consonni,
Michele Carugno,
Sara De Matteis,
Francesco Nordio,
Giorgia Randi,
Martina Bazzano,
Neil E. Caporaso,
Margaret A. Tucker,
Pier Alberto Bertazzi,
Angela Cecilia Pesatori,
Jay H. Lubin,
Maria Teresa Landi
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0203539
Subject(s) - lung cancer , odds ratio , demography , medicine , confidence interval , logistic regression , population , case control study , environmental health , sociology
Objective Cohort studies in Europe, but not in North-America, showed an association between exposure to outdoor particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤10 μm (PM 10 ) and lung cancer risk. Only a case-control study on lung cancer and PM 10 in South Korea has so far been performed. For the first time in Europe we analyzed quantitatively this association using a case-control study design in highly polluted areas in Italy. Methods The Environment And Genetics in Lung cancer Etiology (EAGLE) study, a population-based case-control study performed in the period 2002–2005 in the Lombardy Region, north-west Italy, enrolled 2099 cases and 2120 controls frequency-matched for area of residence, gender, and age. For this study we selected subjects with complete active and passive smoking history living in the same municipality since 1980 until study enrollment. Fine resolution annual PM 10 estimates obtained by applying land use regression modeling to satellite data calibrated with fixed site monitor measurements were used. We assigned each subject the PM 10 average estimates for year 2000 based on enrollment address. We used logistic regression models to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) adjusted for matching variables, education, smoking, and dietary and occupational variables. Results We included 3473 subjects, 1665 cases (1318 men, 347 women) and 1808 controls (1368 men, 440 women), with PM 10 individual levels ranging from 2.3 to 53.8 μg/m 3 (mean: 46.3). We found increasing lung cancer risk with increasing PM 10 category (P-value for trend: 0.04). The OR per 10 μg/m 3 was 1.28 (95% CI: 0.95–1.72). The association appeared stronger for squamous cell carcinoma (OR 1.44, 95% CI: 0.90–2.29). Conclusion In a population living in highly polluted areas in Italy, our study added suggestive evidence of a positive association between PM 10 exposure and lung cancer risk. This study emphasizes the need to strengthen policies to reduce airborne pollution.