Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and risk of leukemia and lymphoma in a pooled European cohort

Tahir Taj; Jie Chen; Sophia Rodopoulou; Maciej Strak; Kees de Hoogh; Aslak Harbo Poulsen; Zorana J. Andersen; Tom Bellander; Jørgen Brandt; Emanuel Zitt; Daniela Fecht; Francesco Forastiere; John Gulliver; Ole Hertel; Barbara Hoffmann; Ulla Arthur Hvidtfeldt; Jeanette T. Jørgensen; Klea Katsouyanni; Matthias Ketzel; Anton Lager; Karin Leander; Shuo Liu; Petter Ljungman; Gianluca Severi; Caroline Besson; Patrik K.E. Magnusson; Gabriele Nagel; Göran Pershagen; Annette Peters; Debora Rizzuto; Evangelia Samoli; Mette Sørensen; Massimo Stafoggia; Anne Tjønneland; Gudrun Weinmayr; Kathrin Wolf; Bert Brunekreef; Gerard Hoek; Ole Raaschou-Nielsen

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123097

Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and risk of leukemia and lymphoma in a pooled European cohort

Tahir Taj
, Jie Chen
, Sophia Rodopoulou
, Maciej Strak
, Kees de Hoogh
, Aslak Harbo Poulsen
, Zorana J. Andersen
, Tom Bellander
, Jørgen Brandt
, Emanuel Zitt
, Daniela Fecht
, Francesco Forastiere
, John Gulliver
, Ole Hertel
, Barbara Hoffmann
, Ulla Arthur Hvidtfeldt^*
, Jeanette T. Jørgensen
, Klea Katsouyanni
, Matthias Ketzel
, Anton Lager

Karin Leander, Shuo Liu, Petter Ljungman, Gianluca Severi, Caroline Besson, Patrik K.E. Magnusson, Gabriele Nagel, Göran Pershagen, Annette Peters, Debora Rizzuto, Evangelia Samoli, Mette Sørensen, Massimo Stafoggia, Anne Tjønneland, Gudrun Weinmayr, Kathrin Wolf, Bert Brunekreef, Gerard Hoek, Ole Raaschou-Nielsen

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

Leukemia and lymphoma are the two most common forms of hematologic malignancy, and their etiology is largely unknown. Pathophysiological mechanisms suggest a possible association with air pollution, but little empirical evidence is available. We aimed to investigate the association between long-term residential exposure to outdoor air pollution and risk of leukemia and lymphoma. We pooled data from four cohorts from three European countries as part of the “Effects of Low-level Air Pollution: a Study in Europe” (ELAPSE) collaboration. We used Europe-wide land use regression models to assess annual mean concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), black carbon (BC) and ozone (O₃) at residences. We also estimated concentrations of PM_2.5 elemental components: copper (Cu), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn); sulfur (S); nickel (Ni), vanadium (V), silicon (Si) and potassium (K). We applied Cox proportional hazards models to investigate the associations. Among the study population of 247,436 individuals, 760 leukemia and 1122 lymphoma cases were diagnosed during 4,656,140 person-years of follow-up. The results showed a leukemia hazard ratio (HR) of 1.13 (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.01–1.26) per 10 μg/m³ NO₂, which was robust in two-pollutant models and consistent across the four cohorts and according to smoking status. Sex-specific analyses suggested that this association was confined to the male population. Further, the results showed increased lymphoma HRs for PM_2.5 (HR = 1.16; 95% CI: 1.02–1.34) and potassium content of PM_2.5, which were consistent in two-pollutant models and according to sex. Our results suggest that air pollution at the residence may be associated with adult leukemia and lymphoma.

Original language	English
Article number	123097
Number of pages	10
Journal	Environmental Pollution
Volume	343
Early online date	6 Dec 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123097
Publication status	Published - 15 Feb 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Elsevier Ltd

Funding

The research described in this article was conducted under contract to the Health Effects Institute (HEI), an organization jointly funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (Assistance Award No. R-82811201) and certain motor vehicle and engine manufacturers. The Swedish Twin Registry is managed by Karolinska Institutet and receives funding through the Swedish Research Council under the grant no 2017-00641.

Funders	Funder number
United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)	R-82811201
Swedish Research Council	2017-00641

Keywords

Air pollution
Leukemia
Lymphoma
Nitrogen dioxide
Ozone
Particulate matter

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123097

1-s2.0-S0269749123020997-mainFinal published version, 1.15 MBLicence: Taverne

Cite this

Taj, T., Chen, J., Rodopoulou, S., Strak, M., de Hoogh, K., Poulsen, A. H., Andersen, Z. J., Bellander, T., Brandt, J., Zitt, E., Fecht, D., Forastiere, F., Gulliver, J., Hertel, O., Hoffmann, B., Hvidtfeldt, U. A., Jørgensen, J. T., Katsouyanni, K., Ketzel, M., ... Raaschou-Nielsen, O. (2024). Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and risk of leukemia and lymphoma in a pooled European cohort. Environmental Pollution, 343, Article 123097. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123097

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title = "Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and risk of leukemia and lymphoma in a pooled European cohort",

abstract = "Leukemia and lymphoma are the two most common forms of hematologic malignancy, and their etiology is largely unknown. Pathophysiological mechanisms suggest a possible association with air pollution, but little empirical evidence is available. We aimed to investigate the association between long-term residential exposure to outdoor air pollution and risk of leukemia and lymphoma. We pooled data from four cohorts from three European countries as part of the “Effects of Low-level Air Pollution: a Study in Europe” (ELAPSE) collaboration. We used Europe-wide land use regression models to assess annual mean concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), black carbon (BC) and ozone (O3) at residences. We also estimated concentrations of PM2.5 elemental components: copper (Cu), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn); sulfur (S); nickel (Ni), vanadium (V), silicon (Si) and potassium (K). We applied Cox proportional hazards models to investigate the associations. Among the study population of 247,436 individuals, 760 leukemia and 1122 lymphoma cases were diagnosed during 4,656,140 person-years of follow-up. The results showed a leukemia hazard ratio (HR) of 1.13 (95\% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.01–1.26) per 10 μg/m3 NO2, which was robust in two-pollutant models and consistent across the four cohorts and according to smoking status. Sex-specific analyses suggested that this association was confined to the male population. Further, the results showed increased lymphoma HRs for PM2.5 (HR = 1.16; 95\% CI: 1.02–1.34) and potassium content of PM2.5, which were consistent in two-pollutant models and according to sex. Our results suggest that air pollution at the residence may be associated with adult leukemia and lymphoma.",

keywords = "Air pollution, Leukemia, Lymphoma, Nitrogen dioxide, Ozone, Particulate matter",

author = "Tahir Taj and Jie Chen and Sophia Rodopoulou and Maciej Strak and \{de Hoogh\}, Kees and Poulsen, \{Aslak Harbo\} and Andersen, \{Zorana J.\} and Tom Bellander and J{\o}rgen Brandt and Emanuel Zitt and Daniela Fecht and Francesco Forastiere and John Gulliver and Ole Hertel and Barbara Hoffmann and Hvidtfeldt, \{Ulla Arthur\} and J{\o}rgensen, \{Jeanette T.\} and Klea Katsouyanni and Matthias Ketzel and Anton Lager and Karin Leander and Shuo Liu and Petter Ljungman and Gianluca Severi and Caroline Besson and Magnusson, \{Patrik K.E.\} and Gabriele Nagel and G{\"o}ran Pershagen and Annette Peters and Debora Rizzuto and Evangelia Samoli and Mette S{\o}rensen and Massimo Stafoggia and Anne Tj{\o}nneland and Gudrun Weinmayr and Kathrin Wolf and Bert Brunekreef and Gerard Hoek and Ole Raaschou-Nielsen",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 Elsevier Ltd",

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doi = "10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123097",

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Taj, T, Chen, J, Rodopoulou, S, Strak, M, de Hoogh, K, Poulsen, AH, Andersen, ZJ, Bellander, T, Brandt, J, Zitt, E, Fecht, D, Forastiere, F, Gulliver, J, Hertel, O, Hoffmann, B, Hvidtfeldt, UA, Jørgensen, JT, Katsouyanni, K, Ketzel, M, Lager, A, Leander, K, Liu, S, Ljungman, P, Severi, G, Besson, C, Magnusson, PKE, Nagel, G, Pershagen, G, Peters, A, Rizzuto, D, Samoli, E, Sørensen, M, Stafoggia, M, Tjønneland, A, Weinmayr, G, Wolf, K, Brunekreef, B , Hoek, G & Raaschou-Nielsen, O 2024, 'Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and risk of leukemia and lymphoma in a pooled European cohort', Environmental Pollution, vol. 343, 123097. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123097

TY - JOUR

T1 - Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and risk of leukemia and lymphoma in a pooled European cohort

AU - Taj, Tahir

AU - Chen, Jie

AU - Rodopoulou, Sophia

AU - Strak, Maciej

AU - de Hoogh, Kees

AU - Poulsen, Aslak Harbo

AU - Andersen, Zorana J.

AU - Bellander, Tom

AU - Brandt, Jørgen

AU - Zitt, Emanuel

AU - Fecht, Daniela

AU - Forastiere, Francesco

AU - Gulliver, John

AU - Hertel, Ole

AU - Hoffmann, Barbara

AU - Hvidtfeldt, Ulla Arthur

AU - Jørgensen, Jeanette T.

AU - Katsouyanni, Klea

AU - Ketzel, Matthias

AU - Lager, Anton

AU - Leander, Karin

AU - Liu, Shuo

AU - Ljungman, Petter

AU - Severi, Gianluca

AU - Besson, Caroline

AU - Magnusson, Patrik K.E.

AU - Nagel, Gabriele

AU - Pershagen, Göran

AU - Peters, Annette

AU - Rizzuto, Debora

AU - Samoli, Evangelia

AU - Sørensen, Mette

AU - Stafoggia, Massimo

AU - Tjønneland, Anne

AU - Weinmayr, Gudrun

AU - Wolf, Kathrin

AU - Brunekreef, Bert

AU - Hoek, Gerard

AU - Raaschou-Nielsen, Ole

PY - 2024/2/15

Y1 - 2024/2/15

N2 - Leukemia and lymphoma are the two most common forms of hematologic malignancy, and their etiology is largely unknown. Pathophysiological mechanisms suggest a possible association with air pollution, but little empirical evidence is available. We aimed to investigate the association between long-term residential exposure to outdoor air pollution and risk of leukemia and lymphoma. We pooled data from four cohorts from three European countries as part of the “Effects of Low-level Air Pollution: a Study in Europe” (ELAPSE) collaboration. We used Europe-wide land use regression models to assess annual mean concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), black carbon (BC) and ozone (O3) at residences. We also estimated concentrations of PM2.5 elemental components: copper (Cu), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn); sulfur (S); nickel (Ni), vanadium (V), silicon (Si) and potassium (K). We applied Cox proportional hazards models to investigate the associations. Among the study population of 247,436 individuals, 760 leukemia and 1122 lymphoma cases were diagnosed during 4,656,140 person-years of follow-up. The results showed a leukemia hazard ratio (HR) of 1.13 (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.01–1.26) per 10 μg/m3 NO2, which was robust in two-pollutant models and consistent across the four cohorts and according to smoking status. Sex-specific analyses suggested that this association was confined to the male population. Further, the results showed increased lymphoma HRs for PM2.5 (HR = 1.16; 95% CI: 1.02–1.34) and potassium content of PM2.5, which were consistent in two-pollutant models and according to sex. Our results suggest that air pollution at the residence may be associated with adult leukemia and lymphoma.

AB - Leukemia and lymphoma are the two most common forms of hematologic malignancy, and their etiology is largely unknown. Pathophysiological mechanisms suggest a possible association with air pollution, but little empirical evidence is available. We aimed to investigate the association between long-term residential exposure to outdoor air pollution and risk of leukemia and lymphoma. We pooled data from four cohorts from three European countries as part of the “Effects of Low-level Air Pollution: a Study in Europe” (ELAPSE) collaboration. We used Europe-wide land use regression models to assess annual mean concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), black carbon (BC) and ozone (O3) at residences. We also estimated concentrations of PM2.5 elemental components: copper (Cu), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn); sulfur (S); nickel (Ni), vanadium (V), silicon (Si) and potassium (K). We applied Cox proportional hazards models to investigate the associations. Among the study population of 247,436 individuals, 760 leukemia and 1122 lymphoma cases were diagnosed during 4,656,140 person-years of follow-up. The results showed a leukemia hazard ratio (HR) of 1.13 (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.01–1.26) per 10 μg/m3 NO2, which was robust in two-pollutant models and consistent across the four cohorts and according to smoking status. Sex-specific analyses suggested that this association was confined to the male population. Further, the results showed increased lymphoma HRs for PM2.5 (HR = 1.16; 95% CI: 1.02–1.34) and potassium content of PM2.5, which were consistent in two-pollutant models and according to sex. Our results suggest that air pollution at the residence may be associated with adult leukemia and lymphoma.

KW - Air pollution

KW - Leukemia

KW - Lymphoma

KW - Nitrogen dioxide

KW - Ozone

KW - Particulate matter

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85179888071

U2 - 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123097

DO - 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123097

M3 - Article

C2 - 38065336

AN - SCOPUS:85179888071

SN - 0269-7491

VL - 343

JO - Environmental Pollution

JF - Environmental Pollution

M1 - 123097

ER -

Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and risk of leukemia and lymphoma in a pooled European cohort

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

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