Medical Dialogues
  • Dermatology
Login Register
This site is intended for healthcare professionals only
Login Register
  • MD Brand Connect
  • Vaccine Hub
  • MDTV
    • Breaking News
    • Medical News Today
    • Health News Today
    • Latest
    • Journal Club
    • Medico Legal Update
    • Latest Webinars
    • MD Shorts
    • Health Dialogues
  • Fact Check
  • Health Dialogues
Medical Dialogues
  • Medical News & Guidelines
      • Anesthesiology
      • Cardiology and CTVS
      • Critical Care
      • Dentistry
      • Dermatology
      • Diabetes and Endocrinology
      • ENT
      • Gastroenterology
      • Medicine
      • Nephrology
      • Neurology
      • Obstretics-Gynaecology
      • Oncology
      • Ophthalmology
      • Orthopaedics
      • Pediatrics-Neonatology
      • Psychiatry
      • Pulmonology
      • Radiology
      • Surgery
      • Urology
      • Laboratory Medicine
      • Diet
      • Nursing
      • Paramedical
      • Physiotherapy
  • Health news
      • Doctor News
      • Government Policies
      • Hospital & Diagnostics
      • International Health News
      • Medical Organization News
      • Medico Legal News
      • NBE News
      • NMC News
  • Fact Check
      • Bone Health Fact Check
      • Brain Health Fact Check
      • Cancer Related Fact Check
      • Child Care Fact Check
      • Dental and oral health fact check
      • Diabetes and metabolic health fact check
      • Diet and Nutrition Fact Check
      • Eye and ENT Care Fact Check
      • Fitness fact check
      • Gut health fact check
      • Heart health fact check
      • Kidney health fact check
      • Medical education fact check
      • Men's health fact check
      • Respiratory fact check
      • Skin and hair care fact check
      • Vaccine and Immunization fact check
      • Women's health fact check
  • AYUSH
    • Ayurveda
    • Homeopathy
    • Siddha
    • Unani
    • Yoga
  • State News
      • Andaman and Nicobar Islands
      • Andhra Pradesh
      • Arunachal Pradesh
      • Assam
      • Bihar
      • Chandigarh
      • Chattisgarh
      • Dadra and Nagar Haveli
      • Daman and Diu
      • Delhi
      • Goa
      • Gujarat
      • Haryana
      • Himachal Pradesh
      • Jammu & Kashmir
      • Jharkhand
      • Karnataka
      • Kerala
      • Ladakh
      • Lakshadweep
      • Madhya Pradesh
      • Maharashtra
      • Manipur
      • Meghalaya
      • Mizoram
      • Nagaland
      • Odisha
      • Puducherry
      • Punjab
      • Rajasthan
      • Sikkim
      • Tamil Nadu
      • Telangana
      • Tripura
      • Uttar Pradesh
      • Uttrakhand
      • West Bengal
  • Medical Education
      • Ayush Education News
      • Dentistry Education News
      • Medical Admission News
      • Medical Colleges News
      • Medical Courses News
      • Medical Universities News
      • Nursing education News
      • Paramedical Education News
      • Study Abroad
  • Industry
      • Health Investment News
      • Health Startup News
      • Medical Devices News
      • Pharma News
      • Pharmacy Education News
      • Industry Perspective
  • MDTV
      • Health Dialogues MDTV
      • Health News today MDTV
      • Latest Videos MDTV
      • Latest Webinars MDTV
      • MD shorts MDTV
      • Medical News Today MDTV
      • Medico Legal Update MDTV
      • Top Videos MDTV
      • Health Perspectives MDTV
      • Journal Club MDTV
      • Medical Dialogues Show
This site is intended for healthcare professionals only
LoginRegister
Medical Dialogues
LoginRegister
  • Home
  • Medical news & Guidelines
    • Anesthesiology
    • Cardiology and CTVS
    • Critical Care
    • Dentistry
    • Dermatology
    • Diabetes and Endocrinology
    • ENT
    • Gastroenterology
    • Medicine
    • Nephrology
    • Neurology
    • Obstretics-Gynaecology
    • Oncology
    • Ophthalmology
    • Orthopaedics
    • Pediatrics-Neonatology
    • Psychiatry
    • Pulmonology
    • Radiology
    • Surgery
    • Urology
    • Laboratory Medicine
    • Diet
    • Nursing
    • Paramedical
    • Physiotherapy
  • Health news
    • Doctor News
    • Government Policies
    • Hospital & Diagnostics
    • International Health News
    • Medical Organization News
    • Medico Legal News
    • NBE News
    • NMC News
  • Fact Check
    • Bone Health Fact Check
    • Brain Health Fact Check
    • Cancer Related Fact Check
    • Child Care Fact Check
    • Dental and oral health fact check
    • Diabetes and metabolic health fact check
    • Diet and Nutrition Fact Check
    • Eye and ENT Care Fact Check
    • Fitness fact check
    • Gut health fact check
    • Heart health fact check
    • Kidney health fact check
    • Medical education fact check
    • Men's health fact check
    • Respiratory fact check
    • Skin and hair care fact check
    • Vaccine and Immunization fact check
    • Women's health fact check
  • AYUSH
    • Ayurveda
      • Ayurveda Giuidelines
      • Ayurveda News
    • Homeopathy
      • Homeopathy Guidelines
      • Homeopathy News
    • Siddha
      • Siddha Guidelines
      • Siddha News
    • Unani
      • Unani Guidelines
      • Unani News
    • Yoga
      • Yoga Guidelines
      • Yoga News
  • State News
    • Andaman and Nicobar Islands
    • Andhra Pradesh
    • Arunachal Pradesh
    • Assam
    • Bihar
    • Chandigarh
    • Chattisgarh
    • Dadra and Nagar Haveli
    • Daman and Diu
    • Delhi
    • Goa
    • Gujarat
    • Haryana
    • Himachal Pradesh
    • Jammu & Kashmir
    • Jharkhand
    • Karnataka
    • Kerala
    • Ladakh
    • Lakshadweep
    • Madhya Pradesh
    • Maharashtra
    • Manipur
    • Meghalaya
    • Mizoram
    • Nagaland
    • Odisha
    • Puducherry
    • Punjab
    • Rajasthan
    • Sikkim
    • Tamil Nadu
    • Telangana
    • Tripura
    • Uttar Pradesh
    • Uttrakhand
    • West Bengal
  • Medical Education
    • Ayush Education News
    • Dentistry Education News
    • Medical Admission News
    • Medical Colleges News
    • Medical Courses News
    • Medical Universities News
    • Nursing education News
    • Paramedical Education News
    • Study Abroad
  • Industry
    • Health Investment News
    • Health Startup News
    • Medical Devices News
    • Pharma News
      • CDSCO (Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation) News
    • Pharmacy Education News
    • Industry Perspective
  • Home
  • Pediatrics and Neonatology
  • Pediatrics and Neonatology News
  • Early-life exposure to...

Early-life exposure to air and light pollution linked to increased risk of pediatric thyroid cancer: Study

Dr. Kamal Kant KohliWritten by Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2025-04-30T21:00:24+05:30  |  Updated On 30 April 2025 9:00 PM IST
Early-life exposure to air and light pollution linked to increased risk of pediatric thyroid cancer: Study
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
  • Telegram
  • Email

A new study led by researchers at Yale University suggests that early-life exposure to two widespread environmental pollutants-small particle air pollution and outdoor artificial light at night-could increase the risk of pediatric thyroid cancer.

The study-a collaborative effort involving multiple Yale departments and institutions across the U.S.-found a “significant association” between exposure to ambient fine particulate matter air pollution (PM2.5) and outdoor artificial light at night (O-ALAN) and increased risk of papillary thyroid cancer in children and young adults up to 19 years old. The exposures occurred during the perinatal stage of life, typically defined as the time from when pregnancy occurs up to a year after birth.

“These results are concerning, especially given how widespread both of these exposures are,” said Dr. Nicole Deziel, PhD, MHS, an environmental epidemiologist with the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) and the study’s lead author. “Fine particulate matter is found in urban air pollution due to automobile traffic and industrial activity, and artificial light at night is common, particularly in densely populated urban areas.”

The research team analyzed data from 736 individuals diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer before age 20 and 36,800 matched control participants based on birth year. Using advanced geospatial and satellite modeling, the team assessed individual-level exposure to PM2.5 and O-ALAN based on residential location at birth. All of the study participants were from California.

The findings showed that for every 10 micrograms per cubic meter increase in PM2.5 exposure, the odds of developing thyroid cancer rose by 7% overall. The strongest association between exposure and thyroid cancer was found among teenagers (15–19 years of age) and Hispanic children. Similarly, children born in areas with high levels of exposure to outdoor light at night were 23–25% more likely to develop thyroid cancer, according to the study.

"Thyroid cancer is among the fastest growing cancers among children and adolescents, yet we know very little about what causes it in this population," said Deziel, an associate professor of epidemiology (environmental health sciences) and co-director of the Yale Center for Perinatal, Pediatric, and Environmental Epidemiology. "Our study is the first large-scale investigation to suggest that these exposures early in life-specifically to PM2.5 and outdoor light at night-may play a role in this concerning trend."

In addition to Deziel, the research team included experts from Yale’s Departments of Biostatistics, Chronic Disease Epidemiology, and Pediatrics, as well as researchers from the University of Southern California, UC Berkeley, and the American Cancer Society. Deziel and several of the study’s authors are affiliated with the Yale Cancer Center. The team’s collective expertise ranged from environmental exposure modeling and biostatistics to pediatric endocrinology and cancer epidemiology.

The impact of papillary thyroid cancer on children can be extensive.

Compared to adults, children are often diagnosed with thyroid cancer at more advanced stages with larger tumor sizes. Pediatric survivors of thyroid cancer can suffer aftereffects ranging from temperature dysregulation and headaches to physical disabilities and mental fatigue. The disease can interfere with important life milestones such as education, employment, and raising a family and it can contribute to feelings of anxiety and depression.

Both PM2.5 and O-ALAN are considered environmental carcinogens that have been shown to disrupt the body’s endocrine system, including thyroid function, in animals and adults. The particles associated with PM2.5 pose a threat because they are small enough to enter the bloodstream and can interfere with hormone signaling, including those involved in regulating cancer pathways. Outdoor artificial light at night has been shown to suppress melatonin and alter circadian rhythms, which can also influence hormone-regulated cancer pathways.

The current research raises important environmental justice concerns. Communities of color and lower-income populations are often disproportionately exposed to both air pollution and light pollution-inequities that may contribute to the higher thyroid cancer burden observed in Hispanic children.

The researchers emphasized that more work is needed to replicate and expand on their findings, ideally using improved exposure metrics and longitudinal designs.

“In the meantime,” Deziel noted, “our results point to the critical importance of addressing environmental factors in childhood cancer research. Reducing exposures to air pollution and managing light pollution could be important steps in protecting children's health.”

Reference:

Nicole C. Deziel, Rong Wang, Joshua L. Warren, Catherine Dinauer, Perinatal Exposures to Ambient Fine Particulate Matter and Outdoor Artificial Light at Night and Risk of Pediatric Papillary Thyroid Cancer, Environmental Health Perspectives, https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP14849.

Environmental Health Perspectivesair pollutionthyroid cancercancer
Source : Environmental Health Perspectives
Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli
Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751

Show Full Article
Next Story

Editorial

National Consensus 2025 on Role of Bisoprolol Across CV Continuum in Women: Top 10 Takeaways

National Consensus 2025 on Role of Bisoprolol Across CV Continuum in Women: Top 10 Takeaways

Relevance of Pioglitazone in Indian T2DM Care Continuum

Relevance of Pioglitazone in Indian T2DM Care Continuum

Azmarda Outperforms Generic Sacubitril/Valsartan in HFrEF Management, says new study

Azmarda Outperforms Generic Sacubitril/Valsartan in HFrEF Management, says new study

First Indian Consensus on Managing Refractory Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Recommends Vonoprazan

First Indian Consensus on Managing Refractory Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Recommends Vonoprazan

Re-visiting the Role of Pneumococcal Vaccination in Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases

Re-visiting the Role of Pneumococcal Vaccination in Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases

View All

Journal Club Today

Study Reveals Why Your Immune System Works Better in Daylight

Study Reveals Why Your Immune System Works Better in Daylight

View All

Health News Today

Health Bulletin 30/May/2025

Health Bulletin 30/May/2025

View All
© 2022 All Rights Reserved.
Powered By: Hocalwire
X
We use cookies for analytics, advertising and to improve our site. You agree to our use of cookies by continuing to use our site. To know more, see our Cookie Policy and Cookie Settings.Ok