Breast cancer and exposure to aircraft, road, and railway noise: a case-control study based on health insurance records

• Published in: Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment ＆ Health Environment ＆ Health, 2017-11, Vol.43 (6), p.509-518
• Main Authors: Hegewald, Janice, Schubert, Melanie, Wagner, Mandy, Dröge, Patrik, Prote, Ursel, Swart, Enno, Möhler, Ulrich, Zeeb, Hajo, Seidler, Andreas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acoustic noise; Adult; Aircraft; Aircraft noise; Airports; Background noise; Breast cancer; breast neoplasm; Breast Neoplasms - epidemiology; Cancer; Cancer risk; Case-Control Studies; Circadian rhythm; Confidence intervals; Ecological monitoring; Employment; environment; Environmental Exposure; Epidemiology; estrogen; estrogen receptor; Estrogen receptors; Estrogens; Etiology; Exposure; Female; Germany - epidemiology; Health insurance; Health risk assessment; Health risks; Hormone replacement therapy; Humans; Insurance; Insurance, Health - utilization; Middle Aged; Motor Vehicles; Night flights (aircraft); Noise barriers; Noise control; Noise levels; Noise, Transportation - adverse effects; Pathogenesis; Railroad traffic; Railroads; railway; railway noise; Receptors, Estrogen; Regression analysis; risk; Risk Factors; road; road noise; Roads; Sleep; Statistical analysis; Systematic review; Traffic; traffic noise; transportation; Transportation noise; Tumors; Womens health
• ISSN: 0355-3140; 1795-990X
• DOI: 10.5271/sjweh.3665

Objectives: Aircraft, road, and rail traffic noise can cause sleep disturbances. Since night work and shorter sleep durations have been linked to increased risks of breast cancer, we examined if 24-hour, or day- or night-time traffic noise exposure may also increase the risk of breast cancer. Methods: To investigate the noise-related risks of breast cancer, the pseudonymized insurance records of three large statutory health companies (2005-2010) for women aged ≥40 years living in the region surrounding the Frankfurt international airport were analyzed with address-specific acoustic data representing aircraft, road, and rail-traffic noise. Noise exposure among women with incident breast cancer (N=6643) were compared with that of control subjects (N=471 596) using logistic regression and adjusting for age, hormone replacement therapy, education and occupation (only available for 27.9%), and a regional proportion of persons receiving long-term unemployment benefits as an ecological indicator of socioeconomic level. Analyses were also stratified according to estrogen receptor (ER) status. Results: An increased odds ratio (OR) was observed for ER negative (ER-) tumors at 24-hour aircraft noise levels 55-59 dB [OR 55-59 dB 1.41, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04-1.90] but not for ER positive (ER+) breast cancers (OR 55-59 dB 0.95, 95% CI 0.75-1.20). Clear associations between road and rail traffic noise were not observed. Conclusions: The results indicate increased aircraft noise may be an etiologic factor for ER- breast cancers. However, information regarding potential confounding factors was largely unattainable. Further research is required to understand how environmental noise may be involved in the pathogenesis of ER- breast cancers.