The association of remotely sensed outdoor fine particulate matter with cancer incidence of respiratory system in the USA

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the association between exposure to fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) and respiratory system cancer incidence in the US population (n = 295,404,580) using a satellite-derived estimate of PM_2.5 concentrations. Linear and logistic regression analyses were performed to determine whether PM_2.5 was related to the odds of respiratory system cancer (RSC) incidence based on gender and race. Positive linear regressions were found between PM_2.5 concentrations and the age-adjusted RSC incidence rates for all groups (Males, Females, Whites, and Blacks) except for Asians and American Indians. The linear relationships between PM_2.5 and RSC incidence rate per 1 μg/m³ PM_2.5 increase for Males, Females, Whites, Blacks, and all categories combined had slopes of, respectively, 7.02 (R² = 0.36), 2.14 (R² = 0.14), 3.92 (R² = 0.23), 5.02 (R² = 0.21), and 4.15 (R² = 0.28). Similarly, the logistic regression odds ratios per 10 μg/m³ increase of PM_2.5 were greater than one for all categories except for Asians and American Indians, indicating that PM_2.5 is related to the odds of RSC incidence. The age-adjusted odds ratio for males (OR = 2.16, 95% CI = 1.56-3.01) was higher than that for females (OR = 1.50, 95% CI = 1.09-2.06), and it was higher for Blacks (OR = 2.12, 95% CI = 1.43-3.14) than for Whites (OR = 1.72, 95% CI = 1.23-2.42). The odds ratios for all categories were attenuated with the inclusion of the smoking covariate, reflecting the effect of smoking on RSC incidence besides PM_2.5.

Keywords: Fine particulate matter; PM2.5; remote sensing; respiratory system cancer.