A cohort study of intra-urban variations in volatile organic compounds and mortality, Toronto, Canada.
This study investigated associations between long-term exposure to ambient volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and mortality. 58,760 Toronto residents (≥35 years of age) were selected from tax filings and followed from 1982 to 2004. Death information was extracted using record linkage to national mortality data. Land-use regression surfaces for benzene, n-hexane, and total hydrocarbons were generated from sampling campaigns in 2002 and 2004 and assigned to residential addresses in 1982. Cox regression was used to estimate relationships between each VOC and non-accidental, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality. Positive associations were observed for each VOC. In multi-pollutant models the benzene and total hydrocarbon signals were strongest for cancer. The hazard ratio for cancer that corresponded to an increase in the interquartile range of benzene (0.13 μg/m(3)) was 1.06 (95% CI = 1.02-1.11). Our findings suggest ambient concentrations of VOCs were associated with cancer mortality, and that these exposures did not confound our previously reported associations between NO2 and cardiovascular mortality.
Population Studies Division, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: Paul_Villeneuve@hc-sc.gc.ca.
Paul J
PJ
Villeneuve
Michael
M
Jerrett
Jason
J
Su
Richard T
RT
Burnett
Hong
H
Chen
Jeffrey
J
Brook
Amanda J
AJ
Wheeler
Sabit
S
Cakmak
Mark S
MS
Goldberg
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000401:mortality; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality; D009585:Nitrogen Dioxide / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D009864:Ontario / Q000453:epidemiology; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000401:mortality; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*
D000393:Air Pollutants; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds; D009585:Nitrogen Dioxide
Air pollution; Cancer; Cardiovascular disease; Cohort study; GIS; Mortality; Nitrogen dioxide; Respiratory disease; Volatile organic compounds