Traffic pollution increases risk of cancer

Traffic pollution increases the risk of a breast cancer diagnosis, according to a joint study of researchers from McGill University in Montreal.

 

According to an article in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, researchers combined data from several studies, and found that women who live in cities, where traffic is most intense, are more likely to develop the disease.

 

Researchers used maps of air pollution emitted from Montreal in 1986 and 1996 and compared them to the home addresses of women diagnosed with breast cancer who participated in the study. The incidence of cancer was significantly higher among women living in the most polluted areas.

 

“We found a link between post-menopausal breast cancer and exposure to nitrogen dioxide, which is a marker for traffic-related air pollution,” said Mark Goldberg from the Research Institute at McGill University.

 

Dr Goldberg warned that the results should be interpreted with caution, stating that it doesn’t mean NO2 gases cause breast cancer since traffic pollutants are made up of a number of elements, but that it certainly can increase the risks.