Lung Cancer Risk Assessment in Relation With Personal Exposure to Airborne Particles in Four French Metropolitan Areas

Abstract

The objective of this study was to quantify the total number of lung cancer deaths attributable to chronic exposure to fine particles (pm2.5) among adult populations of four French urban populations (Grenoble, Rouen, Paris, and Strasbourg). A geographic information system (GIS) was used to extrapolate personal average exposures to the total population of each metropolitan area across three sectors contrasted in terms of local sources of pollutants. We followed a health impact assessment approach by using the risk estimates in the CSP II study. The annual number of lung cancer cases attributable to pm2.5 chronic exposure ranged from 12 to 404 according to the city. Among these deaths, up to 60% occurred, in the Paris metropolitan area in the urban sector most exposed to traffic emissions. The health impact of chronic exposures to urban air pollution in metropolitan areas of developed countries warrants further efforts to abate sources of toxicants and to reduce exposure. Traffic emissions still contribute significantly to the total lung cancer burden in France.