Air Pollution and Breast Cancer Incidence in a United States-Wide Prospective Cohort Study: Examining Sensitive Periods of Exposure

Division

GME Corporate

Hospital

GME Corporate

Document Type

Manuscript

Publication Date

11-26-2025

Keywords

Air pollution, Breast cancer, Distributed lag non-linear models, Windows of susceptibility

Disciplines

Epidemiology | Neoplasms | Public Health

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Mounting evidence supports that air pollution is related to a higher breast cancer risk, yet the importance of exposure timing in this relationship remains unclear.

METHODS: In the Sister Study, a United States-wide prospective cohort (n = 50,884, 2003-2009), we estimated time-varying annual concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO

RESULTS: We found limited evidence that air pollutant exposure during the time of a woman's first birth, most recent birth, or menopause transition was associated with heightened risk for breast cancer. When examining exposure flexibly over the long-term, a 10-ppb increase in NO

CONCLUSIONS: We identified unique periods of susceptibility to NO

Publisher or Conference

Environment International

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS