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Exposure to long-term source-specific transportation noise and incident breast cancer : A pooled study of eight Nordic cohorts

Thacher, Jesse D. LU ; Oudin, Anna LU ; Flanagan, Erin LU orcid ; Mattisson, Kristoffer LU orcid ; Albin, Maria LU ; Roswall, Nina ; Pyko, Andrei ; Aasvang, Gunn Marit ; Andersen, Zorana J. and Borgquist, Signe LU , et al. (2023) In Environment International 178.
Abstract

Background: Environmental noise is an important environmental exposure that can affect health. An association between transportation noise and breast cancer incidence has been suggested, although current evidence is limited. We investigated the pooled association between long-term exposure to transportation noise and breast cancer incidence. Methods: Pooled data from eight Nordic cohorts provided a study population of 111,492 women. Road, railway, and aircraft noise were modelled at residential addresses. Breast cancer incidence (all, estrogen receptor (ER) positive, and ER negative) was derived from cancer registries. Hazard ratios (HR) were estimated using Cox Proportional Hazards Models, adjusting main models for sociodemographic and... (More)

Background: Environmental noise is an important environmental exposure that can affect health. An association between transportation noise and breast cancer incidence has been suggested, although current evidence is limited. We investigated the pooled association between long-term exposure to transportation noise and breast cancer incidence. Methods: Pooled data from eight Nordic cohorts provided a study population of 111,492 women. Road, railway, and aircraft noise were modelled at residential addresses. Breast cancer incidence (all, estrogen receptor (ER) positive, and ER negative) was derived from cancer registries. Hazard ratios (HR) were estimated using Cox Proportional Hazards Models, adjusting main models for sociodemographic and lifestyle variables together with long-term exposure to air pollution. Results: A total of 93,859 women were included in the analyses, of whom 5,875 developed breast cancer. The median (5th–95th percentile) 5-year residential road traffic noise was 54.8 (40.0–67.8) dB Lden, and among those exposed, the median railway noise was 51.0 (41.2–65.8) dB Lden. We observed a pooled HR for breast cancer (95 % confidence interval (CI)) of 1.03 (0.99–1.06) per 10 dB increase in 5-year mean exposure to road traffic noise, and 1.03 (95 % CI: 0.96–1.11) for railway noise, after adjustment for lifestyle and sociodemographic covariates. HRs remained unchanged in analyses with further adjustment for PM2.5 and attenuated when adjusted for NO2 (HRs from 1.02 to 1.01), in analyses using the same sample. For aircraft noise, no association was observed. The associations did not vary by ER status for any noise source. In analyses using <60 dB as a cutoff, we found HRs of 1.08 (0.99–1.18) for road traffic and 1.19 (0.95–1.49) for railway noise. Conclusions: We found weak associations between road and railway noise and breast cancer risk. More high-quality prospective studies are needed, particularly among those exposed to railway and aircraft noise before conclusions regarding noise as a risk factor for breast cancer can be made.

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publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Air pollution, Aircraft noise, Breast cancer, Estrogen receptor, Noise, Railway noise, Traffic, Traffic noise
in
Environment International
volume
178
article number
108108
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • pmid:37490787
  • scopus:85165505340
ISSN
0160-4120
DOI
10.1016/j.envint.2023.108108
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
7c954069-5200-44b6-b2a3-70fb2a32ab66
date added to LUP
2023-09-04 15:30:00
date last changed
2024-04-20 02:31:47
@article{7c954069-5200-44b6-b2a3-70fb2a32ab66,
  abstract     = {{<p>Background: Environmental noise is an important environmental exposure that can affect health. An association between transportation noise and breast cancer incidence has been suggested, although current evidence is limited. We investigated the pooled association between long-term exposure to transportation noise and breast cancer incidence. Methods: Pooled data from eight Nordic cohorts provided a study population of 111,492 women. Road, railway, and aircraft noise were modelled at residential addresses. Breast cancer incidence (all, estrogen receptor (ER) positive, and ER negative) was derived from cancer registries. Hazard ratios (HR) were estimated using Cox Proportional Hazards Models, adjusting main models for sociodemographic and lifestyle variables together with long-term exposure to air pollution. Results: A total of 93,859 women were included in the analyses, of whom 5,875 developed breast cancer. The median (5th–95th percentile) 5-year residential road traffic noise was 54.8 (40.0–67.8) dB Lden, and among those exposed, the median railway noise was 51.0 (41.2–65.8) dB Lden. We observed a pooled HR for breast cancer (95 % confidence interval (CI)) of 1.03 (0.99–1.06) per 10 dB increase in 5-year mean exposure to road traffic noise, and 1.03 (95 % CI: 0.96–1.11) for railway noise, after adjustment for lifestyle and sociodemographic covariates. HRs remained unchanged in analyses with further adjustment for PM<sub>2.5</sub> and attenuated when adjusted for NO<sub>2</sub> (HRs from 1.02 to 1.01), in analyses using the same sample. For aircraft noise, no association was observed. The associations did not vary by ER status for any noise source. In analyses using &lt;60 dB as a cutoff, we found HRs of 1.08 (0.99–1.18) for road traffic and 1.19 (0.95–1.49) for railway noise. Conclusions: We found weak associations between road and railway noise and breast cancer risk. More high-quality prospective studies are needed, particularly among those exposed to railway and aircraft noise before conclusions regarding noise as a risk factor for breast cancer can be made.</p>}},
  author       = {{Thacher, Jesse D. and Oudin, Anna and Flanagan, Erin and Mattisson, Kristoffer and Albin, Maria and Roswall, Nina and Pyko, Andrei and Aasvang, Gunn Marit and Andersen, Zorana J. and Borgquist, Signe and Brandt, Jørgen and Broberg, Karin and Cole-Hunter, Thomas and Eriksson, Charlotta and Eneroth, Kristina and Gudjonsdottir, Hrafnhildur and Helte, Emilie and Ketzel, Matthias and Lanki, Timo and Lim, Youn Hee and Leander, Karin and Ljungman, Petter and Manjer, Jonas and Männistö, Satu and Raaschou-Nielsen, Ole and Pershagen, Göran and Rizzuto, Debora and Sandsveden, Malte and Selander, Jenny and Simonsen, Mette K. and Stucki, Lara and Spanne, Mårten and Stockfelt, Leo and Tjønneland, Anne and Yli-Tuomi, Tarja and Tiittanen, Pekka and Valencia, Victor H. and Ögren, Mikael and Åkesson, Agneta and Sørensen, Mette}},
  issn         = {{0160-4120}},
  keywords     = {{Air pollution; Aircraft noise; Breast cancer; Estrogen receptor; Noise; Railway noise; Traffic; Traffic noise}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Environment International}},
  title        = {{Exposure to long-term source-specific transportation noise and incident breast cancer : A pooled study of eight Nordic cohorts}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2023.108108}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.envint.2023.108108}},
  volume       = {{178}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}