Diesel Fume Cancer Risk
1st April 2006 - Environment and lifestyle are important factors that affect the prevalence of cancer. Lung cancer is predominantly caused by tobacco smoke but vehicle exhaust fumes and other air pollution have also been implicated. Professor David Phillips and his team are conducting research into a newly discovered environmental chemical, which may provide a way to examine how lung damage leading to cancer may be caused by diesel fumes.
The chemical, called 3-nitro-benzathrone (3-NBA), was recently found in diesel exhaust but seems to be largely absent from other sources of airborne pollution. The main metabolite of 3-NBA has been found in urine samples of salt-mine workers who are exposed through their work to diesel emissions, demonstrating that human exposure to 3-NBA in diesel emissions can be significant and is detectable.
Research at The Institute has shown that in human liver cells 3-NBA is activated by an enzyme called NQO1, which is found in most human tissues. Activated 3-NBA subsequently interacts with other enzymes and forms a bond with DNA, an event that is associated with the initiation of cancer.
‘Diesel exhaust is a suspected cause of human cancer,’ says Professor Phillips, ‘however, there is currently no specific marker for diesel exposure. This research is an important step towards discovering how diesel exhaust is carcinogenic, and whether there is a direct link to lung DNA damage from diesel fumes. Additional research at The Institute is being conducted to investigate 3-NBA further.’
Find out more about Professor David Phillips' Research
