Socioeconomic differences in the risk of childhood central nervous system tumors in Denmark:a nationwide register-based case–control study

Purpose!#!Differences in the risk of childhood central nervous system (CNS) tumors by socioeconomic status (SES) may enhance etiologic insights. We conducted a nationwide register-based case-control study to evaluate socioeconomic differences in the risk of childhood CNS tumors in Denmark and examined whether associations varied by different SES measures, time points of assessment, specific tumor types, and age at diagnosis.!##!Methods!#!We identified all children born between 1981 and 2013 and diagnosed with a CNS tumor at ages 0-19 years (n = 1,273) from the Danish Cancer Registry and sampled four individually matched controls per case (n  = 5,086). We used conditional logistic regression models to estimate associations with individual-level and neighborhood-level socioeconomic measures.!##!Results!#!We observed elevated risks of ependymoma and embryonal CNS tumors in association with higher parental education (odds ratios (ORs) of 1.6-2.1 for maternal or paternal high education and ependymoma) and higher risk of all tumor types in association with higher maternal income, e.g., OR  1.93; 95% CI 1.05-3.52 for high versus low income for astrocytoma and other gliomas. Associations were often stronger in children diagnosed at ages 5-19 years. We found little evidence for an association with neighborhood SES.!##!Conclusion!#!This large nationwide register study with minimal risk of bias showed that having parents with higher educational level and a mother with higher income was associated with a higher risk of childhood CNS tumors. Bias or under-ascertainment of cases among families with low income or basic education is unlikely to explain our findings

Betydningen af partikelfiltre for luftkvalitet og sundhedseffekter

Konsekvenser for emission, luftkvalitet, befolkningseksponering og sundhedseffekter af montering af partikelfiltre med en effektivitet på 80% på alle tunge dieselkøretøjer i Danmark er vurderet pba. eksisterende data. Sundhedsmæssige vurderinger er baseret på en metode udviklet af WHO, som tager udgangspunkt i PM10 i bybaggrundsluften. Beregningerne, der er behæftet med meget stor usikkerhed, viser at forureningen med PM10 kun reduceres lidt (skønsmæssigt omkring 2%) i byernes baggrunds- luft. Den beskedne reduktion skyldes, at en meget stor del af denne forurening er regional, d.v.s fra hele Europa, samt at dieselpartikler hovedsageligt er ultrafine med meget lav masse. De sundhedsmæssige gevinster bliver derfor tilsyneladende beskedne. Beregningerne med WHO’s metode resulterer således kun i en reduktion på 22 for tidligere dødsfald, som kunne spares ved montering af filtre. Imidlertid mistænkes de ultrafine partikler i dieselemission for at være ansvarlige for en væsentlig del af de partikelrelaterede helbredseffekter, og de ultrafine partikler reduceres med omkring 1/3 ved montering af filtre. Derfor må helbredseffekten antages at underestimeres ved den anvendte WHO metode

VALIDATION OF AIRGIS - A GIS-BASED AIR POLLUTION AND HUMAN EXPOSURE MODELLING SYSTEM

This study describes in brief the latest extensions of the AirGIS system used in Denmark for exposure modelling and gives results of a validation with measured air pollution data. The system shows a good performance for both long term averages (annual and monthly averages) as well as short term averages (hourly and daily)

Predictors of Urinary Arsenic Levels among Postmenopausal Danish Women

Arsenic is a risk factor for several noncommunicable diseases, even at low doses. Urinary arsenic (UAs) concentration is a good biomarker for internal dose, and demographic, dietary, and lifestyle factors are proposed predictors in nonoccupationally exposed populations. However, most predictor studies are limited in terms of size and number of predictors. We investigated demographic, dietary, and lifestyle determinants of UAs concentrations in 744 postmenopausal Danish women who had UAs measurements and questionnaire data on potential predictors. UAs concentrations were determined using mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and determinants of the concentration were investigated using univariate and multivariate regression models. We used a forward selection procedure for model optimization. In all models, fish, alcohol, and poultry intake were associated with higher UAs concentration, and tap water, fruit, potato, and dairy intake with lower concentration. A forward regression model explained 35% (R2) of the variation in concentrations. Age, smoking, education, and area of residence did not predict concentration. The results were relatively robust across sensitivity analyses. The study suggested that UAs concentration in postmenopausal women was primarily determined by dietary factors, with fish consumption showing the strongest direct association. However, the majority of variation in UAs concentration in this study population is still unexplained

Long-term residential exposure to PM2.5, PM10, black carbon, NO2, and ozone and mortality in a Danish cohort

Air pollutants such as NO2 and PM2.5 have consistently been linked to mortality, but only few previous studies have addressed associations with long-term exposure to black carbon (BC) and ozone (O3). We investigated the association between PM2.5, PM10, BC, NO2, and O3 and mortality in a Danish cohort of 49,564 individuals who were followed up from enrollment in 1993–1997 through 2015. Residential address history from 1979 onwards was combined with air pollution exposure obtained by the state-of-the-art, validated, THOR/AirGIS air pollution modelling system, and information on residential traffic noise exposure, lifestyle and socio-demography. We observed higher risks of all-cause as well as cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality with higher long-term exposure to PM2.5, PM10, BC, and NO2. For PM2.5 and CVD mortality, a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.29 (95% CI: 1.13–1.47) per 5 μg/m3 was observed, and correspondingly HRs of 1.16 (95% CI: 1.05–1.27) and 1.11 (95% CI: 1.04–1.17) were observed for BC (per 1 μg/m3) and NO2 (per 10 μg/m3), respectively. Adjustment for noise gave slightly lower estimates for the air pollutants and CVD mortality. Inverse relationships were observed for O3. None of the investigated air pollutants were related to risk of respiratory mortality. Stratified analyses suggested that the elevated risks of CVD and all-cause mortality in relation to long-term PM, NO2 and BC exposure were restricted to males. This study supports a role of PM, BC, and NO2 in all-cause and CVD mortality independent of road traffic noise exposure