Work

Associations of Adolescence Exposure to Industrial Air Pollution with Cancer in Young Adults

Year: 2023

Type: article

Abstract: Background: There is substantial public concern about excess health risks posed by residential proximity to petrochemical industries, particularly regarding cancer. In the Haifa Bay Area (HBA), which contains Israel’s densest industrial area, these concerns are strengthened by elevated age- and sex-adjusted cancer mortality rates compared to other areas in Israel since the late 1960s. We aimed to study the association between adolescent exposure to industrial air pollution in the HBA with adult-onset cancer. Methods: This is a historical cohort study. The study population comprised 2,187,317 subjects, using the Israeli medical corps data linked to the Israel National Cancer Registry with follow-up of up to 45 years. Exposure assessments were estimated by a kriging interpolation model. Cancer risk was assessed using crude and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models.Results: We found increased crude (HR=1.23, 95%CI= 1.17 to 1.29) and adjusted (HR=1.16, 95%CI=1.10 to 1.21) of generalized risk of cancer with increased exposure to air pollution in HBA. The associations remained robust in analyses stratified by birth decade and SES, and also in those restricted to subjects with unimpaired health at baseline. We found evidence of increased risk in five of 13 specific cancer categories for which monotonic associations are evident (leukemia, melanoma, female breast, CNS, and thyroid tumors). Conclusions: Our findings strengthen the hypothesis that these industrial exposures posed a carcinogenic risk during the study period. This has major public health implications for this highly populated area itself and for other populations exposed to similar industries worldwide.

Source: Environment & Health

DOI: 10.1021/envhealth.3c00030