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ANALYSIS OF THE CORRELATION BETWEEN ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION AND LUNG CANCER IN GUANGZHOU, CHINA Huang, LF, 1 Feng, ZZ, ' Wu, JF, l Yan, LY, z and Du, YX3 iMunicipal Health & Antiepidemic station of Guangzhou, 23, 3rd Zhongshan Rd., Guangzhou, 510080, P.R. China. 2Guangzhou Environmental Monitoring Center, 95, Ji Xing Rd., Guangzhou, 510080, P.R. China 3Guangzhou Research Center for lung cancer, 195, Dongfeng Rd., West, Guangzhou, 510182, P.R. China Summary: To investigate the complicated correlation between air pollution and lung cancer, long term survey data are needed. This paper analyzes systematically 20 years of data on air pollution, combined with data on lung cancer deaths in Guangzhou. Air pollution data included 1. About 30 sampling locations monitoring dustfall and SOZ in 1972-1979.

2. 4 stations (part of WHO's global monitoring of air pollution) monitoring SOZ and total suspended particles in 1982-1990. Using these data and the Formula I= I n~ CZ - L. --I n i=1 s, the yearly average air pollution index (API) was calculated and evaluated. 3. Aviation remote sensing comprehensive data were organized by the Scientific Technical Committee of Guangzhou in December 1984. Data on lung cancer deaths were collected from 63 police substations in the city which preserved complete and systematic household registration. Individual lung cancer deaths had been investigated since 1980. A data bank of lung cancer mortality rate by police substation was established. The results of the investigation of air pollution and lung cancer are as follows: - 2 -

Table 1 Correlation between atmospheric pollution (AP) and lung cancer death rates in the four districts of Guangzhou AP Index (1972-1979) Liwan 2.49 Yuexiu 1.68 Haizhu 1.64 Dongshan 1.17 control 0.57 AP Index (1982-1990) 0.898 0.721 --- 0.470 0.246 Pollution Status (a) severe Heavy/ Medium/ Medium/ Clean 1984 /heavy medium light light Mutagenicity of TSP (b) 7,600 6,600 --- 6,100 LC Death Rate (1976-1987) 37.94 35.99 31.50 30.79 (a) Pollution status was monitored by remote-control aerial sensors. (b) Mutagenicity was ascertained by the Ames test and is based on the number of revertant colonies/100 M3. The results indicate that in Guangzhou, air pollution is most serious in the Liwan district, followed by Yuexiu, Haizhu and Dongshan districts. Over 20 years, the highest mortality rate for lung cancer was also in the Liwan district (37.94/100,000), followed in order by Yuexiu, Haizhu, and Dongshan districts. The sequence was the same in both; the most serious air pollution district had the highest lung cancer mortality rate. The carcinogenic substance Bap (0.35-1.95 µg/100 M3) can be detected from dustfall and total suspended particles. An Ames - 3 -

test (TA98 strain+S9) of organic extracted substance from the total air suspended particles corresponded to the above observation: the mutagenicity of total suspended particles was highest for the Liwan district (7,600/100 M3 revertants), followed by Yuexiu and Dongshan. The mutagenicity is consistent with the mortality rate of lung cancer, suggesting that air pollution may produce potential carcinogenic hazards and further illustrating that air pollution may be a factor in the etiology of lung cancer.