Urban air carcinogens and their effects on health

Conference · Tue Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1994

OSTI ID:10193108

Lechner, J F

Airborne carcinogens may be relevant especially in metropolitan regions with extreme smog as a primary cause of lung cancer. Lung cancer is most common in urban environs and the incidence directly correlates with the size of the city. In addition, several, but not all formal epidemiological studies also suggest a positive correlation between lung cancer incidence and the intensity of air pollution exposure. There is further support for a role of air pollution; as of 1993, 4.4% of all of the bronchogenic adenocarcinoma cancer cases among Mexicans living in industrialized cities are under 40 years of age. It is plausible that chronic inhalation of automobile combustion products, factory emissions, and/or radon is at least partially responsible for the higher incidence of lung cancer exemplified by the never-smoking urban residents. The exceptionally high incidence of lung cancer cases among never-smokers living in highly industrialized Mexican cities offers a unique opportunity to use molecular epidemiology to test whether chronic inhalation of atmospheric pollutants increases the risk for this disease. Overall, the analysis of the genetic alterations in two cancer genes, and possibly the hprt locus should give new insight as to whether the urban never-smokers developed their cancers because of exposure to environmental pollutants.

• Research Organization: Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Inst., Albuquerque, NM (United States). Inhalation Toxicology Research Inst.
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76EV01013
• OSTI ID: 10193108
• Report Number(s): CONF-9410236--2; ON: DE95002259
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540110
560300
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AIR POLLUTION
BASIC STUDIES
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CARCINOGENS
CHEMICALS METABOLISM AND TOXICOLOGY
DNA BASE TRANSITIONS
GENE MUTATIONS
INHALATION
LUNGS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NEOPLASMS
ONCOGENES
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
RISK ASSESSMENT
URBAN AREAS