Short-term ozone exposure and cancer mortality in Brazil: A nationwide case-crossover study

Exposure to ambient ozone (O₃) is linked to increased mortality risks from various diseases, but epidemiological investigations delving into its potential implications for cancer mortality are limited. We aimed to examine the association between short-term O₃ exposure and site-specific cancer mortality and investigate vulnerable subgroups in Brazil. In total 3,459,826 cancer death records from 5570 Brazilian municipalities between 2000 and 2019, were included. Municipal average daily O₃ concentration was calculated from a global estimation at 0.25°×0.25° spatial resolution. The time-stratified case-crossover design was applied to assess the O₃-cancer mortality association. Subgroup analyses by age, sex, season, time-period, region, urban hierarchy, climate classification, quantiles of GDP per capita and illiteracy rates were performed. A linear and non-threshold exposure-response relationship was observed for short-term exposure to O₃ with cancer mortality, with a 1.00% (95% CI: 0.79%-1.20%) increase in all-cancer mortality risks for each 10-μg/m³ increment of three-day average O₃. Kidney cancer was most strongly with O₃ exposure, followed by cancers of the prostate, stomach, breast, lymphoma, brain and lung. The associated cancer risks were relatively higher in the warm season and in southern Brazil, with a decreasing trend over time. When restricting O₃ concentration to the national minimum value during 2000-2019, a total of 147,074 (116,690-177,451) cancer deaths could be avoided in Brazil, which included 17,836 (7014-28,653) lung cancer deaths. Notably, these associations persisted despite observed adaptation within the Brazilian population, highlighting the need for a focus on incorporating specific measures to mitigate O₃ exposure into cancer care recommendations.