The epidemiological trends in the burden of lung cancer attributable to PM(2.5) exposure in China

OBJECTIVE: PM(2.5), which is a major contributor to air pollution, has large effects on lung cancer mortality. We want to analyse the long-term trends in lung cancer burden attributable to PM(2.5) exposure and provide evidence that can be used for preventive measures and health resource planning. METHODS: Mortality data related to lung cancer were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 project. A joinpoint regression analysis was used to assess the magnitude and direction of the trends in mortality from 1990 to 2019, and the age-period-cohort method was used to analyse the temporal trends in the mortality rate of lung cancer attributable to PM(2.5) exposure by age, period, and cohort. RESULTS: From 1990 to 2019, the age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) attributable to PM(2.5) exposure trended slowly upwards, and the ASMR due to ambient PM(2.5) exposure (APE) increased significantly, that due to household PM(2.5) exposure (HPE) decreased. The longitudinal age curves show that the mortality rates due to PM(2.5) exposure among younger individuals were low, and they significantly increased from their levels among those in the 45–49 age group to their levels among those in the over-85 age group. From 1990 to 2019, the period RRs due to APE increased, but those due to HPE decreased. Similar trends were observed in the cohort RRs. The overall net drift per year attributable to PM(2.5) exposure was below 0. The local drift values increased with age and were above 0 for the over-80 age groups. The overall net drifts per year were above zero for APE and below zero for HPE. The corresponding results among males were higher than those among females. CONCLUSIONS: In China, the type of air pollution responsible for lung cancer has changed from household air pollution to ambient air pollution. PM(2.5) exposure is more harmful among males and older people. Ambient air pollution should be emphasized, and China should strengthen its implementation of effective public policies and other interventions. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-021-10765-1.