Cancer Risk from Exposure to Particulate Matter and Ozone According to Obesity and Health-Related Behaviors: A Nationwide Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Background:

There is little evidence of an association between cancer risk and long-term exposure to ambient particulate matter <10 μm (PM₁₀) and ozone (O₃), according to obesity and health-related behaviors.

Methods:

In the 2012 Korean Community Health Survey, survey data on socioeconomic characteristics, health-related behaviors, and previous cancer history were collected from 100,867 participants. Daily average concentrations of PM₁₀ and O₃ (2003–2012) were obtained from the Korean Air Pollutants Emission Service. The cancer risks for interquartile increases in PM₁₀ and O₃ were evaluated using multiple logistic regression and were stratified by age, sex, obesity, and health-related behaviors.

Results:

Increased cancer risk was found among obese subjects aged ≥50 years after adjusting for confounding factors [PM₁₀: ≥60 years: OR 1.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03–1.74; 50–60 years: OR 1.40, CI 1.01–1.96; O₃: ≥60 years: OR 1.12, CI 1.04–1.20; 50–60 years: OR 1.20, CI 1.08–1.33]. However, we did not observe similar trends in the nonobese subjects. Among obese subjects aged ≥50 who had been exposed to PM₁₀, men, ever smokers, and inactive subjects were at increased cancer risk. Regarding O₃, the cancer risk was significantly higher among obese adults >50 years old, regardless of sex or health-related behaviors.

Conclusions:

Long-term exposure to PM₁₀ and O₃ was found to increase cancer risk. In particular, the risk differed according to obesity status, age, sex, and health-related behaviors.

Impact:

The effect of air pollution on cancer risk was compounded by obesity, smoking, and physical inactivity among subjects over 50 years old.

http://bit.ly/2Gmtsgq