Risk of Lung Cancer from Residential Heating and Cooking Fuels in Montreal, Canada

• Published in: American journal of epidemiology Vol. 165; no. 6; pp. 634 - 642
• Main Authors: Ramanakumar, Agnihotram V., Parent, Marie-Elise, Siemiatycki, Jack
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cary, NC Oxford University Press 15.03.2007; Oxford Publishing Limited (England)
• Subjects: Adenocarcinoma - epidemiology; Adult; Aged; Air pollution; Air Pollution, Indoor - adverse effects; Air Pollution, Indoor - analysis; Air Pollution, Indoor - statistics & numerical data; Analysis. Health state; Biological and medical sciences; Canada; Carcinoma, Small Cell - epidemiology; Case-Control Studies; cookery; Cooking; Cooking - methods; Cooking - statistics & numerical data; Environment. Living conditions; Environmental Exposure - adverse effects; Environmental Exposure - analysis; Environmental Exposure - statistics & numerical data; Environmental Monitoring; Epidemiological Monitoring; Epidemiology; Female; Females; fossil fuels; Fuels; General aspects; Health risks; Heating; Heating - adverse effects; Heating - methods; Heating - statistics & numerical data; Humans; indoor; Indoor air pollution; Indoor environments; Logistic Models; Lung cancer; lung neoplasms; Lung Neoplasms - epidemiology; Lung Neoplasms - etiology; Lung Neoplasms - pathology; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; Natural gas; Neoplasms, Squamous Cell - epidemiology; Pneumology; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Quebec - epidemiology; Risk Factors; Sex Distribution; Smoking - adverse effects; Smoking - epidemiology; Socioeconomic Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tumors of the respiratory system and mediastinum; Urban Health - statistics & numerical data; Wood; Canada; North America; America; Quebec; Montreal Quebec Canada; Canada, Quebec, Montreal; Canada; fossil fuels; lung neoplasms; cookery; air pollution, indoor; heating; case-control studies; Human; Lung disease; Cooking; indoor; Canada; case-control studies; cookery; fossil fuels; heating; lung neoplasms; Respiratory disease; Lung cancer; Risk; Malignant tumor; Case control study; Epidemiology; Health and environment; Heating; Fuel; Risk factor; Fossil fuel; Indoor pollution; Bronchus disease; Air pollution; Public health
• ISSN: 0002-9262; 1476-6256
• DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwk117

Among the major sources of indoor air pollution are combustion by-products from heating and cooking. Concern is increasing that use of polluting heating and cooking sources can increase cancer risk. In Canada, most cooking and heating currently relies on electricity or natural gas, but, in the past, and still in some areas, coal and wood stoves were used for heating and gas and wood for cooking. In the course of a case-control study of lung cancer carried out in Montreal in 1996–2001, the authors collected information on subjects' lifetime exposure to such sources of domestic pollution by means of a personal interview with the subject or a next-of-kin proxy. Questionnaires were completed for 739 male cases, 925 male controls, 466 female cases, and 616 female controls. Odds ratios were computed in relation to a few indices of exposure to traditional heating and cooking sources, adjusting for a number of covariates, including smoking. Among men, there was no indication of excess risks. Among women, the odds ratio for those exposed to both traditional heating and cooking sources was 2.5 (95% confidence interval: 1.5, 3.6; n = 253). The findings for women suggest the need for research dedicated to exploring this association, with particular emphasis on improved exposure assessment.