Landmark study of elderly Hongkongers ties air pollution to multiple types of cancer
Research involving over 66,000 participants finds increased exposure to particulate matter raises health risks
Every 10 micrograms per cubic metre of increased exposure to tiny particulates in the air increases the risk of elderly Hongkongers dying from some kind of cancer by 22 per cent, a decade-long study by British and Hong Kong researchers has found.
While the links between particulate pollution and cardiopulmonary disease and lung cancer have been well-documented, the joint study was one of few to be published that highlighted an association with mortality from other cancers.
Researchers at the University of Birmingham in the UK and the University of Hong Kong recruited 66,280 people aged 65 or older between 1998 and 2001, and followed their mortality outcomes up to 2011. Causes of death were ascertained based on Hong Kong registrations.
Annual concentrations of fine particulates in their area of residence were estimated using data from satellites and fixed-site monitors.
Fine particulates, or PM2.5, are hazardous airborne particles measuring less than 2.5 microns in diameter and small enough to enter the lungs.
About 4,740 tonnes of PM2.5 are emitted annually into the city’s air. Around half comes from marine or road transport and about a tenth from power generation.