BACKGROUND: Cancer is a major public health concern, particularly among middle-aged and elderly populations, who are disproportionately affected by rising cancer incidence. Environmental pollution has been identified as a significant risk factor for cancer development. China's Carbon Emission Trading Policy (CETP), implemented in pilot regions since 2013, aims to reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality. This study evaluates the impact of CETP on pan-cancer incidence, with a focus on its effects on specific cancer types and vulnerable populations. METHODS: This quasi-natural experiment utilized data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) and environmental data from the China National Environmental Monitoring Center (2011-2018). A staggered difference-in-differences (DID) model was employed to estimate the impact of CETP on cancer incidence. Robustness tests, including parallel trend tests, placebo analysis, and entropy balancing, validated the findings. Subgroup analyses were performed to assess the policy's heterogeneous effects based on gender, Body Mass Index (BMI), and smoking status. RESULTS: CETP implementation significantly reduced the incidence of six cancer types: endometrial, cervical, gastric, esophageal, breast, and lung cancers. Overall, pan-cancer incidence significantly declined post-policy implementation (CETP × POST: -47.200, 95% CI: [-61.103, -33.296], p < 0.001). The policy demonstrated stronger effects in highly polluted areas and among individuals with poorer mental health. Subgroup analysis revealed that females, individuals with lower BMI, and non-smokers experienced more substantial benefits. CONCLUSIONS CETP significantly reduces cancer incidence by improving environmental quality and influencing mental health, with particularly strong effects observed among high-risk populations. This study highlights the important role of environmental economic policies in mitigating cancer burden and promoting public health. Future research should further explore the long-term impacts of this policy and its applicability across different national and regional contexts.
Humans ; Incidence ; Neoplasms/epidemiology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Male ; Aged ; Air Pollution/legislation & jurisprudence* ; Carbon/analysis* ; Longitudinal Studies ; Air Pollutants/analysis* ; Environmental Exposure

OBJECTIVETo investigate the potential impact of ambient air pollution on public health under various traffic policies in Shanghai.

METHODSThe exposure level of Shanghai residents to air pollution under various planned traffic scenarios was estimated, and the public health impact was assessed using concentration-response functions derived from available epidemiological studies.

RESULTSOur results showed that ambient air pollution in relation to traffic scenarios had a significant impact on the future health status of Shanghai residents. Compared with the base case scenario, implementation of various traffic scenarios could prevent 759-1574, 1885-2420, and 2277-2650 PM10-related avoidable deaths (mean-value) in 2010, 2015, and 2020, respectively. It could also decrease the incidence of several relevant diseases.

CONCLUSIONOur findings emphasize the need to consider air pollution-related health effects as an important impact of traffic policy in Shanghai.

Air Pollutants ; toxicity ; Air Pollution ; prevention & control ; China ; Environmental Exposure ; prevention & control ; Motor Vehicles ; legislation & jurisprudence ; Population Density ; Public Health ; standards ; Transportation ; legislation & jurisprudence

INTRODUCTIONA local study completed in Singapore, which was part of an international multi-country study that aims to develop a global assessment of exposure to second-hand smoke in indoor workplaces, gathered data regarding the indoor air quality of public areas. It was hypothesised that air would be less polluted in non-smoking venues compared to places where smoking occurred.

MATERIALS AND METHODSA TSI SidePak AM510 Personal Aerosol Monitor was used to sample and record the levels of respirable suspended particles (RSP) in the air. A broad range of venues were sampled in Singapore. The primary goal of data analysis was to assess the difference in the average levels of RSP in smoke-free and non smoke-free venues. Data was assessed at 3 levels: (a) the mean RSP across all venues sampled compared with the mean levels of smoke-free and non smoke-free venues, (b) levels in venues where smoking occurred compared with similar venues in Ireland, and (c) comparison between smoke-free and non smoke-free areas according to the type of venue. Statistical significance was assessed using the Mann-Whitney U-test.

RESULTSThe level of indoor air pollution was 96% lower in smoke-free venues compared to non smoke-free venues. Averaged across each type of venue, the lowest levels of indoor air pollution were found in restaurants (17 microg/m3) and the highest in bars (622 microg/m3); both well above the US EPA Air Quality Index hazardous level of >or=251 ug/m3.

CONCLUSIONSThis study demonstrates that workers and patrons are exposed to harmful levels of a known carcinogen and toxin. Policies that prohibit smoking in public areas dramatically reduce exposure and improve worker and patron health.

Air Pollution, Indoor ; analysis ; legislation & jurisprudence ; Environmental Monitoring ; Ireland ; Restaurants ; Singapore ; Smoking ; Workplace

OBJECTIVETo investigate the current smoking regulations and their impacts on the environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) levels inside restaurants and bars in Beijing.

METHODSTelephone survey was used to investigate the smoking regulations. TSI Sidepak AM510 was used to measure the level of fine particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter (PM2.5) in restaurants and bars. Analysis of variance and non-parametric rank tests were used to examine the association between indoor and outdoor PM2.5 levels and (1) smoking regulations; and (2) types of restaurants and bars.

RESULTSOf the 305 restaurants and bars surveyed, 27.9% had complete or partial smoking prohibiting rules. The average indoor PM2.5, level of the 92 restaurants and bars was 253.08 microg/m3 , 102.37% higher than the outdoor level. The average indoor and outdoor PM2.5 levels in the restaurants and bars with smoking ban regulations were 93.10 microg/m3 and 110.33 microg/m3 whole 289.34 microg/m3 and 128.40 microg/m3 in those without, respectively. The average indoor and outdoor PM2.5 levels of bars were 413.46 microg/m3 and 190.62 microg/m3, respectively, while in the western fast-food restaurants, they were 83.86 microg/m3 and 104.77 microg/m3, respectively. The outdoor PM2.5 levels were higher than the indoor levels in different classes of restaurants and bars. Furthermore, there was a significant positive correlation between PM2.5 levels and the number of smokers per cube meters (r = 0.47, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONSmoking regulations could effectively reduce the ETS level in restaurants and bars.

Air Pollution, Indoor ; analysis ; legislation & jurisprudence ; China ; Environmental Monitoring ; Particulate Matter ; analysis ; Restaurants ; Smoking ; legislation & jurisprudence ; Tobacco Smoke Pollution ; analysis ; legislation & jurisprudence