Long-Term Exposure to Fine Particulate Matter and Incidence of Esophageal Cancer: A Prospective Study of 0.5 Million Chinese Adults

Particulate matter exposure may increase the risk of irritable bowel syndrome: a large-scale prospective study based on the UK Biobank

“…A previous study had estimated the risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) associated with an IQR increase in long-term PM 2.5 exposure, 7 which is also comparable with the results in our study. Consistent with a previous study on the association between long-term PM 2.5 exposure and incidence risks of esophageal cancer, 5 we also estimated almost linear exposure–response curves for the association between long-term PM 2.5 and PM 10 exposure and IBS, which indicates that the incidence risk of IBS increased with higher levels of PM. Furthermore, we observed that the impact of long-term PM 2.5 exposure on the incidence risk of IBS is higher than that for PM 10 .…”

“…15 Therefore, gastrointestinal exposure is an important exposure route for PM. Several previous studies have linked PM exposure with increased risks of gastrointestinal diseases such as oesophageal cancer, IBD, and IBS, 5,7,26,27 It is reported that PM exposure could increase ROS generation, induce gastrointestinal epithelial cell death, and induce the disruption and hyperpermeability of the intestinal barrier. 34,35 Moreover, animal studies observed that PM exposure was associated with increased inflammatory cell infiltration, inflammation-related genes ( IL-6 , IL-10 , IL-1β , and TNF-α ) expression, and intestinal inflammation in the colon, 35–37 which provided experimental evidence on the association between PM exposure and intestinal inflammation.…”

“…3,4 Apart from the common risk factors, ambient air pollution, especially particulate matter (PM), has been linked with a wide range of gastrointestinal diseases. 5–7 However, no sufficient evidence has demonstrated the association between PM exposure and the incidence risk of IBS.…”

“…Several previous studies have reported the association between PM exposure and the risk of upper gastrointestinal diseases such as esophageal cancer and peptic ulcer. 5,6 Moreover, PM exposure is also linked to an increased risk of lower gastrointestinal diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, and appendicitis. 7,16 However, the impact of PM in different sizes on the gastrointestinal tract has not been elucidated.…”

The Canadian Association of Gastroenterology’s New Climate Change Committee

“…Although it is early, and the evidence is still accumulating, there are signals that airborne pollution may contribute to the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease 4 , 5 and occurrence of some malignancies, including oesophageal tumours. 6 Biodiversity loss compromises crop and fishery yields, the maintenance of clean water supplies, and prevention of several infectious diseases. Clearly, it is in the interest of the digestive health community to engage on these issues.…”