Does Exposure To Environmental Pollution Increase The Incidence Of CNS Tumors In Children?

Purpose: The postulated risk factor of CNS tumors might be air pollution. In Poland, especially in the Silesian voivodship, air quality is inferior compared to other European countries. The study aimed to evaluate the effect of selected air pollution parameters on the incidence of central nervous system tumors in children. Material and methods: A group of 460 children (251 boys, 209 girls) aged 0-18 (0.17-18.75) years, diagnosed with CNS cancer were included. The age Standardized Incidence Ratios (SIR) for CNS malignancies in children were calculated. Based on the data concerning air quality, the number and location of air quality monitoring stations for 2003-2016 published by the Regional Inspectorate for Environmental Protection in Katowice, the mean concentrations of benzene (C6H6), Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), benzoalphapyrene (BaP) and particulates matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers (PM 2.5) and 10 micrometers (PM10) were calculated. Results: The highest PM10 (50.62µg/m3), PM2.5 (36.14µg/m3), BaP (10.9ng/m3) and C6H6 (3.67µg/m3) concentrations were recorded in the Rybnik area. The highest age-standardized CNS tumor incidence ratio (n/100,000) was also demonstrated in the Rybnik area (3.24). The analysis showed a significant positive correlation between the SIR and the concentration of PM2.5 (r=0.89, p=0.039) and PM10 (r=0.93, p=0.007). There was no significant correlation between SIR and NO2 (r=0.41, p=0.41), BaP (r=0.56, p=0.24), C6H6 (r=0,79, p=0,2). Conclusion: Exposure to high concentrations of particulate matter may increase the risk of developing CNS cancers in children. Further research is needed, especially in the pediatric population.