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Background: Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is an endocrine-disrupting pollutant formed during incomplete combustion of organic materials. It has been recognized as a reproductive and developmental toxicant, however epidemiological evidence of the long-term effect of ambient air BaP on breast cancer (BC) is limited. Thus we evaluated associations between ambient air BaP exposure and risk of BC, overall and according to menopausal status and molecular subtypes (estrogen receptor negative/positive (ER−/ER+) and progesterone receptor negative/positive (PR−/PR+)), stage and grade of differentiation of BC in the French E3N cohort study. Methods: Within a nested case-control study of 5222 incident BC cases and 5222 matched controls, annual BaP exposure was estimated using a chemistry-transport model (CHIMERE) and was assigned to the geocoded residential addresses of participants for each year during the 1990–2011 follow-up period. Multivariable conditional logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Overall, cumulative airborne BaP exposure was significantly associated with the overall risk of BC, for each 1 interquartile range (IQR) increase in the concentration levels of BaP (1.42 ng/m3), the OR = 1.15 (95% CI: 1.04–1.27). However, by menopausal status, the significant positive association remained only in women who underwent menopausal transition (i.e. premenopausal women at inclusion who became postmenopausal at diagnosis), OR per 1 IQR = 1.20 (95% CI: 1.03–1.40). By hormone receptor status, positive associations were observed for ER+, PR + and ER + PR + BC, with ORs = 1.17 (95% CI: 1.04–1.32), 1.16 (95% CI: 1.01–1.33), and 1.17 (95% CI: 1.01–1.36) per 1 IQR, respectively. There was also a borderline positive association between BaP and grade 3 BC (OR per 1 IQR = 1.15 (95% CI: 0.99–1.34). Conclusions: We provide evidence of increased risk of BC associated with cumulative BaP exposure, which varied according to menopausal status, hormone receptor status, and grade of differentiation of BC. Our results add further epidemiological evidence to the previous experimental studies suggesting the adverse effects of BaP.

We attempted to identify the various modes of urban events from the urban routine, and the relationship between events and the transmission of messages on the Twitter social network for Paris and the Ile de France region. The locations and rhythm of tweets emitted in this territory, reveals places with regular or others with sporadic activity. For the same urban space, there are rarely regularity in the transmitting force of a hotspot, but, on the contrary, a great variability of frequencies and rhythms, and this lack of automaticity and arrythmia make it possible to approach temporary clusters and discontinuity. According to whether the event is singular or cyclical, planned or unforeseen, whether it takes place in a single place, following a route or tends to appropriate a specific neighborhood, these tweets highlight chronotopic urban spaces.

Abstract Background While genetic, hormonal, and lifestyle factors partially elucidate the incidence of breast cancer, emerging research has underscored the potential contribution of air pollution. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) are of particular concern due to endocrine-disrupting properties and their carcinogenetic effect. Objective To identify distinct long term trajectories of exposure to PCB153 and BaP, and estimate their associations with breast cancer risk. Methods We used data from the XENAIR case–control study, nested within the ongoing prospective French E3N cohort which enrolled 98,995 women aged 40–65 years in 1990–1991. Cases were incident cases of primary invasive breast cancer diagnosed from cohort entry to 2011. Controls were randomly selected by incidence density sampling, and individually matched to cases on delay since cohort entry, and date, age, department of residence, and menopausal status at cohort entry. Annual mean outdoor PCB153 and BaP concentrations at residential addresses from 1990 to 2011 were estimated using the CHIMERE chemistry-transport model. Latent class mixed models were used to identify profiles of exposure trajectories from cohort entry to the index date, and conditional logistic regression to estimate their association with the odds of breast cancer. Results 5058 cases and 5059 controls contributed to the analysis. Five profiles of trajectories of PCB153 exposure were identified. The class with the highest PCB153 concentrations had a 69% increased odds of breast cancer compared to the class with the lowest concentrations (95% CI 1.08, 2.64), after adjustment for education and matching factors. The association between identified BaP trajectories and breast cancer was weaker and suffered from large CI. Conclusions Our results support an association between long term exposure to PCB153 and the risk of breast cancer, and encourage further studies to account for lifetime exposure to persistent organic pollutants.

Background: Human exposure to air pollution involves complex mixtures of multiple correlated air pollutants. To date, very few studies have assessed the combined effects of exposure to multiple air pollutants on breast cancer (BC) risk. Objectives: We aimed to assess the association between combined exposures to multiple air pollutants and breast cancer risk. Methods: The study was based on a case-control study nested within the French E3N cohort (5222 incident BC cases/5222 matched controls). For each woman, the average of the mean annual exposure to eight pollutants (benzo(a)oyrene, cadmium, dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB153), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone, particulate matter and fine particles (PMs)) was estimated from cohort inclusion in 1990 to the index date. We used the Bayesian Profile Regression (BPR) model, which groups individuals according to their exposure and risk levels, and assigns a risk to each cluster identified. The model was adjusted on a combination of matching variables and confounders to better consider the design of the nested case-control study. Odds ratios (OR) and their 95 % credible intervals (CrI) were estimated. Results: Among the 21 clusters identified, the cluster characterised by low exposures to all pollutants, except ozone, was taken as reference. A consistent increase in BC risk compared to the reference cluster was observed for 3 clusters: cluster 9 (OR=1.61; CrI=1.13,2.26), cluster 16 (OR=1.59; CrI=1.10,2.30) and cluster 15 (OR=1.38; CrI=1.00,1.88) characterised by high levels of NO2, PMs and PCB153. The other clusters showed no consistent association with BC. Discussion: This is the first study assessing the effect of exposure to a mixture of eight air pollutants on BC risk, using the BPR approach. Overall, results showed evidence of a positive joint effect of exposure to high levels to most pollutants, particularly high for NO2, PMs and PCB153, on the risk of BC.

IntroductionResidential exposure is estimated to be responsible for nearly 10% of lung cancers in 2015 in France, making it the second leading cause, after tobacco. The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, in the southwest of France, is particularly affected by this exposure as 30% of the population lives in areas with medium or high radon potential. This study aimed to investigate the impact of radon exposure on the survival of lung cancer patients.MethodsIn this single-center study, patients with a histologically confirmed diagnosis of lung cancer, and newly managed, were prospectively included between 2014 and 2020. Univariate and multivariate survival analyses were carried out using a non-proportional risk survival model to consider variations in risk over time.ResultsA total of 1,477 patients were included in the analysis. In the multivariate analysis and after adjustment for covariates, radon exposure was not statistically associated with survival of bronchopulmonary cancers (HR = 0.82 [0.54–1.23], HR = 0.92 [0.72–1.18], HR = 0.95 [0.76–1.19] at 1, 3, and 5 years, respectively, for patients residing in category 2 municipalities; HR = 0.87 [0.66–1.16], HR = 0.92 [0.76–1.10], and HR = 0.89 [0.75–1.06] at 1, 3, and 5 years, respectively, for patients residing in category 3 municipalities).DiscussionAlthough radon exposure is known to increase the risk of lung cancer, in the present study, no significant association was found between radon exposure and survival of bronchopulmonary cancers.

Abstract Molecular studies suggest that cadmium due to its estrogenic properties, might play a role in breast cancer (BC) progression. However epidemiological evidence is limited. This study explored the association between long-term exposure to airborne cadmium and risk of BC by stage, grade of differentiation, and histological types at diagnosis. A nested case–control study of 4401 cases and 4401 matched controls was conducted within the French E3N cohort. A Geographic Information System (GIS)-based metric demonstrated to reliably characterize long-term environmental exposures was employed to evaluate airborne exposure to cadmium. Multivariable adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using conditional logistic regression models. There was no relationship between cadmium exposure and stage of BC. Also, no association between cadmium exposure and grade of differentiation of BC was observed. However, further analyses by histological type suggested a positive association between cadmium and risk of invasive tubular carcinoma (ITC) BC [ORQ5 vs Q1 = 3.4 (95% CI 1.1–10.7)]. The restricted cubic spline assessment suggested a dose–response relationship between cadmium and ITC BC subtype. Our results do not support the hypothesis that airborne cadmium exposure may play a role in advanced BC risk, but suggest that cadmium may be associated with an increased risk of ITC.

Abstract Background Testicular germ cell tumours (TGCT) are the most frequent cancers in young men in developed countries and their incidence rate has doubled worldwide over the past 40 years. Early life exposures to pesticides are suspected to increase TGCT risk. Our research aimed at estimating adult TGCT risk associated with parental domestic use of pesticides during early periods of child development. Methods We conducted a case-control study of 304 TGCT cases, aged 18–45 years old, recruited in 20 French university hospitals, and 274 controls frequency-matched on hospital and birth year. Participants’ mothers provided information on their domestic use of pesticides from 1 year before start of pregnancy to 1 year after their son’s birth, for gardening activities, treatment of indoor plants, pets, wood and mold, and pest control. Odds ratios (OR) for TGCT (overall and by histological subtype) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using conditional logistic regression. Results Prevalence of reported domestic use of pesticides was 77.3% for insecticides, 15.9% for fungicides and 12.1% for herbicides. While no association was found for any use of insecticides (OR = 1.27, CI = 0.80–2.01) or herbicides (OR = 1.15, CI = 0.67–2.00), elevated risks of TGCT overall (OR = 1.73, CI = 1.04–2.87) and non-seminoma subtype (OR = 2.44, CI = 1.26–4.74) were observed for any use of fungicides. When specific purposes were examined, using fungicides and/or insecticides for woodwork (OR = 2.35, CI = 1.06–5.20) and using insecticides on cats and dogs (OR = 1.95, CI = 1.12–3.40) were associated with increased risk of non-seminoma subtype. We found no association for seminoma subtype. Conclusions Although recall bias may partially explain the elevated ORs, our study provides some evidence of a positive association between domestic use of pesticides during early periods of development, particularly fungicides and risk of adult TGCT and non-seminoma. Given the common domestic use of pesticides in France, further research on TGCT risk is warranted.

Current evidence of an association of breast cancer (BC) risk with air pollution exposure, in particular from traffic exhaust, remains inconclusive, and the exposure assessment methodologies are heterogeneous. This study aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on the association between traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) and BC incidence (PROSPERO CRD42021286774). We systematically reviewed observational studies assessing exposure to TRAP and BC risk published until June 2022, available on Medline/PubMed and Web of Science databases. Studies using models for assessing exposure to traffic-related air pollutants or using exposure proxies (including traffic density, distance to road, etc.) were eligible for inclusion. A random-effects meta-analysis of studies investigating the association between NO2/NOx exposure and BC risk was conducted. Overall, 21 studies meeting the inclusion criteria were included (seven case–control, one nested case–control, 13 cohort studies); 13 studies (five case–control, eight cohort) provided data for inclusion in the meta-analyses. Individual studies provided little evidence of an association between TRAP and BC risk; exposure assessment methods and time periods of traffic emissions were different. The meta-estimate on NO2 exposure indicated a positive association (pooled relative risk per 10 µg/m3 of NO2: 1.015; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.003; 1.028). No association between NOx exposure and BC was found (three studies). Although there was limited evidence of an association for TRAP estimated with proxies, the meta-analysis showed a significant association between NO2 exposure, a common TRAP pollutant marker, and BC risk, yet with a small effect size. Our findings provide additional support for air pollution carcinogenicity.

Is built environment the most influential factor on travel behavior when compared to individual socioeconomic characteristics? This paper extends the empirical knowledge by providing and comparing quantitative estimates of these various effects on both commuting distance and mode choice in a European city spatial context, while using up-to-date and novel methodology. Eight indicators of built and social environment are identified in order to characterize clusters of residential locations, giving a rich view of spatial and social diversity of locations. To disentangle the causal effects of residential self-selection and built environment, both sample selection and specific matching preprocessing (“coarsened exact matching”, a novel approach in the field) are implemented. Regarding commuting distance, the true effect of built and social environment appears modest with an increase of distance in the range of 10-20%. It comes behind individual socioeconomic characteristics such as car availability and skill. Regarding commuting mode choice, again the true effect of built and social environment is modest, with a near 20%pt increase of car share and around 10%pt decrease or public transport share for the most prominent effects, and it comes behind car availability. These results suggest the primary importance of directly influencing car use, if not car ownership, in the European context, while trying to modify the built environment would provide only limited results.

Numerous cancers develop years after subjects have been exposed to chemical compounds. Thus, environmental epidemiological studies need to accurately reconstruct exposures over long periods. To estimate exposure to NO2 and PM10 concentrations, we modelled ground-level air concentrations, at very fine temporal (1 h) and spatial (10 m) resolutions, over a large European metropolitan area and at subject’s address of a French national cohort, for five different years (1990, 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2010). Model performances were assessed by comparing the annual modelled concentration against monitoring station measurements. As input data, we used background concentrations from a large-scale dispersion model. The relevance of our approach was assessed by comparing results in 2010, with a modelling using monitoring values as background data. The comparison with measurement data showed good performance of the model for the majority of the period, with a performance declined in 1990. Concentrations at the subject’s residence decreased by 45% for PM10 and 38% for NO2. The proportion of subjects exposed above the WHO recommendations declined from 100% to 50% for PM10 and from 79% to 16% for NO2. The results of this study would provide a reference for future models to assess chronic exposures to PM10 and NO2 on a larger scale.

With the digital turn, data from connected devices are a new resource for understanding urban rhythms and mobility. Using the geolocated messages (1, 540, 000 tweets) of Twitter social network users recorded in 2015, this article uses dynamic graphs to visualize Parisian mobilities. Using a clustering algorithm, we show how to move from a geolocated message to an individual displacement and on to collective trajectories. These trajectories illustrate the preferential mobility of users of the social network in Paris, as well as the areas of concentration and poles of interest.