title: Childhood cancer and residential exposure to highways: a nationwide cohort study.
abstract: Children living near highways are exposed to higher concentrations of traffic-related carcinogenic pollutants. Several studies reported an increased risk of childhood cancer associated with traffic exposure, but the published evidence is inconclusive. We investigated whether cancer risk is associated with proximity of residence to highways in a nation-wide cohort study including all children aged <16 years from Swiss national censuses in 1990 and 2000. Cancer incidence was investigated in time to event analyses (1990-2008) using Cox proportional hazards models and incidence density analyses (1985-2008) using Poisson regression. Adjustments were made for socio-economic factors, ionising background radiation and electromagnetic fields. In time to event analysis based on 532 cases the adjusted hazard ratio for leukaemia comparing children living <100 m from a highway with unexposed children (≥500 m) was 1.43 (95 % CI 0.79, 2.61). Results were similar in incidence density analysis including 1367 leukaemia cases (incidence rate ratio (IRR) 1.57; 95 % CI 1.09, 2.25). Associations were similar for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (IRR 1.64; 95 % CI 1.10, 2.43) and stronger for leukaemia in children aged <5 years (IRR 1.92; 95 % CI 1.22, 3.04). Little evidence of association was found for other tumours. Our study suggests that young children living close to highways are at increased risk of developing leukaemia.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM), University of Bern, Finkenhubelweg 11, 3012, Bern, Switzerland. ben.spycher@ispm.unibe.ch.
authors.forename: Ben D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Spycher
authors.affiliation: Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM), University of Bern, Finkenhubelweg 11, 3012, Bern, Switzerland.|Department of General Internal Medicine, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Feller
authors.affiliation: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.|University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Röösli
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Roland A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Ammann
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Hemato-Oncology Unit, Department of Paediatrics, University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Diezi
authors.affiliation: Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM), University of Bern, Finkenhubelweg 11, 3012, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Egger
authors.affiliation: Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM), University of Bern, Finkenhubelweg 11, 3012, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Claudia E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Kuehni
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D018986:Motor Vehicles; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology; D001335:Vehicle Emissions / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D001335:Vehicle Emissions
keywords: Air pollution; Leukaemia; Lymphoma; Traffic exhaust; Tumours of the central nervous system; Vehicle emissions