According to a recent study published in the Journal of Environmental Science and Pollution Research, long term exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2), is related to an increased risk of breast cancer. The study included a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies assessing the effects of long-term exposure to ambient air pollution on breast cancer.
Breast cancer is a multifactorial disease which is associated with both genetic and environmental factors. Increasing number of studies have proposed that exposure to ambient air pollution may play an important role in the development of breast cancer. However, no consistent information has been obtained regarding the relation between high air pollutant exposure and increased risk of breast cancer.
Therefore, this study aimed to further clarify the association between long term ambient air pollution exposure and breast cancer by reviewing existing literature from 3 major academic databases, Web of Science, PubMed and EMBASE before March 2020, to February 2021. A total of 5446 studies were identified out of which 18 of them were eligible.
The results of pooled analysis of the studies showed that increased risk of breast cancer was associated with an increase in NO2 exposure, while particulate matter aerodynamic diameters ≤ 2.5 μm and 10 μm revealed no statistically significant associations with breast cancer risk.
Thus, the results of the study indicated that long-term NO2 exposure can increase breast cancer risk and further evidence is required to determine the association of other air pollution parameters with breast cancer risk.
Source: Wei, W., Wu, BJ., Wu, Y. et al. Association between long-term ambient air pollution exposure and the risk of breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 63278–63296 (2021).
Source link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11356-021-14903-5
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