Indoor and outdoor air pollution and lung cancer in New Hampshire and Vermont |
| |
| Authors: | Chantel D Sloan Joann F Gruber Kevin M Mwenda Jason H Moore Tracy Onega |
| |
| Institution: | 1. Computational Genetics Laboratory, Department of Genetics , Dartmouth Medical School, Lebanon , NH 03756 , USA;2. Computational Genetics Laboratory, Department of Genetics , Dartmouth Medical School, Lebanon , NH 03756 , USA;3. Department of Geography , Dartmouth College , Hanover , NH 03766 , USA;4. Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Dartmouth Medical School , Lebanon , NH 03756 , USA;5. Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Dartmouth Medical School , Lebanon , NH 03756 , USA;6. Community and Family Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School , Lebanon , NH 03756 , USA |
| |
| Abstract: | Indoor and outdoor air pollution is known to contribute to increased lung cancer incidence. This study is the first to address the contribution of home heating fuel and geographical course particulate matter (PM10) concentrations to lung cancer rates in New Hampshire, USA. First, Pearson correlation analysis and geographically weighted regression were used to investigate spatial relationships between outdoor PM10 and lung cancer rates. While the aforementioned analyses did not indicate a significant contribution of PM10 to lung cancer in the state, there was a trend towards a significant association in the northern and southwestern regions of the state. Second, case-control data were used to estimate the contributions of indoor pollution and secondhand smoke to the risk of lung cancer with adjustment for confounders. Increased risk was found among those who used wood or coal to heat their homes for more than 10 winters before the age of 18, with a significant increase in risk per winter. Resulting data suggest that further investigation of the relationship between heating-related air pollution levels and lung cancer risk is needed. |
| |
| Keywords: | lung cancer air pollution particulate matter wood coal |
|
|
