Atmospheric Metals and Cancer Incidence in the GAZEL Cohort (1996-2014)

Abstract

Background/AimMetals such as cadmium are acknowledged or suspected carcinogenics. Yet the association between atmospheric metals and cancer incidence has rarely been investigated, as exposure is difficult to assess. We aim to analyze the relationships between atmospheric metals and the incidence of cancer in the French general population-based cohort Gazel.MethodsWe used four moss biomonitoring surveys, mainly conducted in the French countryside between 1996-2011, to assess the exposure to 13 atmospheric metals including cadmium, mercury and lead, as the mean rank of the exposure at home address to each metal over the follow-up of 11,212 participants living in low and moderate population density areas with incidence of all, bladder, breast, colorectal and kidney cancer between 2001-2014. We used Cox models to derive hazard ratios for a 2000-rank increase of exposure to each atmospheric metal, adjusted for gender, socioeconomic status, alcohol and tobacco use, family status, and with age as the underlying time scale.ResultsWe found significant associations between incidence of all cancers and As, Cd, Cu, Hg, and Zn with HR ranging from 1.05 (CI 1.01-1.08) and 1.07 (1.04-1.11); between incidence of lung cancer and Al, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Ni, and Zn with HR ranging from 1.14 (1.00-1.09) and 1.25 (1.10-1.44); between incidence of bladder cancer and Al and Fe with HR of 1.14 (1.00-1.30) and 1.15 (1.00-1.31), respectively; between incidence of kidney cancer and Cd, Hg, and Zn with HR ranging from 1.20 (1.00-1.43) and 1.21 (1.01-1.44). Incident colorectal cancer was associated with exposure to Na with an HR of 1.12 (1.00-1.25). No significant association was found between incident breast cancer and atmospheric metals.ConclusionsAtmospheric metals, mainly those from anthropogenic sources, are associated with incidence of all-cause, lung, and kidney cancer for participants of the Gazel cohort living in low to moderate population density areas.