Association Between Air Pollution and Hospitalization due to Malignant Neoplasms

Objective To assess the association between air pollution and malignant neoplasms hospital admissions.

Methods Records of meteorological factors and air pollutants (PM₁₀, SO₂, and NO₂) were collected in Jinchang City, Gansu Province from 2007 to 2010. The hospitalized cases of malignant neoplasms during the same period were collected from the Jinchang cohort. A semi-parametric generalized additive model was used to assess the relationship between air pollutant concentrations and daily malignant neoplasms hospitalizations in the cohort with adjustment of confounding factors.

Results A total of 2 707 malignant neoplasms hospitalized cases were collected. Greater estimates were found for SO₂ on Lag 0 day (L0) and for NO₂ on Lag 04 day (L04), with relative risks (RRs) (95% confidence interval) of 1.043 (1.002-1.085) and 1.163 (1.091-1.239), respectively. The males and the cases at and over 60 years of age were associated more strongly with PM₁₀ and NO₂. The multiple-pollutant models showed that SO₂ and NO₂ were synergic to PM₁₀, and NO₂ had a significant and independent health effect.

Conclusion There might be associations between air pollution and hospital admissions for malignant neoplasms in the Jinchang cohort.