Association between exposure to air pollution and lung cancer incidence and mortality

Background and aimsFew studies on long-term exposure to air pollution and mortality and lung cancer incidence have been reported from Europe. Within the multi-center European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects (ESCAPE) we investigated the association between mortality and lung cancer incidence, and long-term exposure to multiple air pollutants. MethodsData from 16-22 European cohort studies were used. Residential exposure was assessed following a strictly standardized protocol as annual average concentrations of particles less than 2.5µm (PM2.5), less than 10µm (PM10), and between 10µm and 2.5µm (PMcoarse), PM2.5 absorbance, and nitrogen oxides (NO2 and NOx) using Land Use Regression (LUR) models. Cohort-specific statistical analyses using confounder models with increasing level of adjustment were conducted using Cox proportional hazards models using a common protocol. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to obtain pooled effect estimates.Results The total study population consisted of ~300,000 p...