Cent Eur J Public Health 1998, 6(2):152-156

Estimation of risks of health effects, particularly cancer, from air pollutants

Törnqvist M.¹, Helleberg H.^2,3, Ehrenberg L.^2,3

¹ Department of Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

² Department of Radiobiology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

³ Department of Genetic and Cellular Toxicology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

Air pollution in the general environment originates to a large extent from incomplete combustion (energy conversion, waste incineration). At the mostly low pollutant levels in the environment two groups of compounds are of major interest with regard to health impairment, viz., mutagens and stable, bioaccumulating compounds. Because of linear dose-response relationships exposure to mutagens leads to increased cancer risk already at doses close to zero. Stable, bioaccumulating compounds, which usually show a non-linear dose-response relationship with a no-effect threshold, may accumulate in organisms to toxic levels. For both groups of compounds risk assessment is rendered difficult by the large numbers of components in polluted air. Efforts to overcome these difficulties are briefly reviewed, for both groups considering the additivity of the effects of compounds with similar action. For mutagens belonging to different chemical classes, indicators are selected, and the cancer risk of compounds (or classes) are estimated by a relative potency method with the well-known risks of K-radiation as reference standard. A related approach has been initiated for stable dioxin-like compounds by a determination of a toxic equivalency factors with TCDD as reference standard. The approach, using indicators compounds, is examplified for cancer risk estimation of a complex, mixed exposure such as urban air pollution.

Published: June 1, 1998  Show citation