Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Bituminous coal combustion and Xuan Wei Lung cancer: a review of the epidemiology, intervention, carcinogens, and carcinogenesis

Archives of Toxicology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Indoor air pollution from bituminous coal combustion has been linked to the extremely high lung cancer rates of nonsmoking women in Xuan Wei County, Yunnan Province, China. Venting the smoke outdoors by installing chimneys was found to be effective at reducing the lung cancer risk in a cohort study of 21,232 farmers in central Xuan Wei. However, the lung cancer mortality rates in all 1.2 million residents of Xuan Wei have been increasing dramatically over the last four decades. It was higher than that in Yunnan Province and China overall, with significant heterogeneities in the geographic patterns of Xuan Wei. Intervention measures targeting certain types of coal or certain carcinogenic components in coal smoke need to be explored. To inform targeted intervention policies, it is essential to pinpoint the specific substance (particulate matter, organic extract, PAHs, free radicals, crystalline silica, and inorganic matter) that might account for the carcinogenicity of bituminous coal smoke. Exploring the underlying carcinogenesis mechanisms would also contribute to the intervention and control of the lung cancer epidemic in Xuan Wei, China. Here we review the suspected carcinogens and carcinogenesis mechanisms and discuss future research directions towards a better understanding of the etiology of lung cancer in Xuan Wei, China.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Barone-Adesi F, Chapman RS, Silverman DT et al (2012) Risk of lung cancer associated with domestic use of coal in Xuanwei, China: retrospective cohort study. BMJ 345:e5414. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.e5414

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Blot WJ, Xu ZY, Boice JD Jr et al (1990) Indoor radon and lung cancer in China. J Natl Cancer Inst 82(12):1025–1030

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bonner MR, Shen M, Liu CS, Divita M, He X, Lan Q (2009) Mitochondrial DNA content and lung cancer risk in Xuan Wei, China. Lung Cancer 63(3):331–334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lungcan.2008.06.012

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Buher BJP, Hinkley JT, Gupta RP, Nelson PF, Wall TF (2006) Fine ash formation during combustion of pulverised coal: coal property impacts. Fuel 85:185–193

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chapman RS, Mumford JL, Harris DB, He ZZ, Jiang WZ, Yang RD (1988) The epidemiology of lung cancer in Xuan Wei, China: current progress, issues, and research strategies. Arch Environ Health 43(2):180–185

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chen BH, Hong CJ, He XZ (1992) Indoor air pollution and its health effects in China—a review. Environ Technol 13(4):301–312

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen Y, Sheng G, Bi X, Feng Y, Mai B, Fu J (2005) Emission factors for carbonaceous particles and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from residential coal combustion in China. Environ Sci Technol 39(6):1861–1867

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chen G, Sun X, Ren H et al (2015a) The mortality patterns of lung cancer between 1990 and 2013 in Xuanwei, China. Lung Cancer 90(2):155–160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lungcan.2015.08.006

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chen X, He M, Li G et al (2015b) Study of the Changes on Tree Shrew Bronchial Epithelium Induced by Xuanwei Bituminous Coal Dust. Zhongguo fei ai za zhi Chin J Lung Cancer 18(8):469–474. https://doi.org/10.3779/j.issn.1009-3419.2015.08.01

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chuang JC, Wise SA, Cao S, Mumford JL (1992) Chemical Characterization of Mutagenic Fractions of Particles from Indoor. Environ Sci Technol 26(5):999–1004

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dai S, Tian L, Chou C-L et al (2008) Mineralogical and compositional characteristics of Late Permian coals from an area of high lung cancer rate in Xuan Wei, Yunnan, China: Occurrence and origin of quartz and chamosite. Int J Coal Geol 76(4):318–327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coal.2008.09.001

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Deng ZHZ, Zeng Q, Yang D, He X, Wang S et al (2001) Epidemiology study on the relation of indoor air radon and γ-ray radiation to lung cancer in Xuanwei.. Chin J Radiol Med Prot 21:389 –391

    Google Scholar 

  • Downward GS, Hu W, Large D et al (2014a) Heterogeneity in coal composition and implications for lung cancer risk in Xuanwei and Fuyuan counties, China. Environ Int 68:94–104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2014.03.019

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Downward GS, Hu W, Rothman N et al (2014b) Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure in household air pollution from solid fuel combustion among the female population of Xuanwei and Fuyuan counties, China. Environ Sci Technol 48(24):14632–14641. https://doi.org/10.1021/es504102z

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Downward GS, Hu W, Rothman N et al (2016) Outdoor, indoor, and personal black carbon exposure from cookstoves burning solid fuels. Indoor Air 26(5):784–795. https://doi.org/10.1111/ina.12255

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Downward GS, Hu W, Rothman N et al (2017) Quartz in ash, and air in a high lung cancer incidence area in China. Environ Pollut 221:318–325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2016.11.081

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dwivedi S, Saquib Q, Al-Khedhairy AA, Ali AY, Musarrat J (2012) Characterization of coal fly ash nanoparticles and induced oxidative DNA damage in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Sci Total Environ 437:331–338

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fan Y (2012) The suppressive effect of microRNA—on the growth of Yunnan Xuanwei lung Aden carcinoma in vitro. Mhil Thesis Yunnan Univeristy of TCM

  • Finkelman RB, Tian L (2017) The health impacts of coal use in China. Int Geol Rev 60(5–6):579–589. https://doi.org/10.1080/00206814.2017.1335624

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Granville CA, Hanley NM, Mumford JL, DeMarini DM (2003) Mutation spectra of smoky coal combustion emissions in Salmonella reflect the TP53 and KRAS mutations in lung tumors from smoky coal-exposed individuals. Mutat Res 525:77–83

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • He XZ, Chen W, Chen H (1989) An epidemiology study on dose-response relationship between B[a]P concentration in indoor air and lung mortality in Xuanwei, China. In: Present futur indoor air qual process brussels Conf, pp 227–233

  • He XZ, Yang RD (1994) Indoor air pollution from coal combustion and lung cancer. Yunnan Science and Technology Press, Kunming

    Google Scholar 

  • Hosgood HD, Berndt III, Lan SI Q (2007) GST genotypes and lung cancer susceptibility in Asian populations with indoor air pollution exposures: a meta-analysis. Mutat Res 636(1–3):134–143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mrrev.2007.02.002

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hosgood HD, Chapman III, Shen R M, et al (2008) Portable stove use is associated with lower lung cancer mortality risk in lifetime smoky coal users. Br J Cancer 99(11):1934–1939. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bjc.6604744

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hosgood HD, Chapman RS, Wei H et al (2012) Coal mining is associated with lung cancer risk in Xuanwei, China. Am J Ind Med 55(1):5–10

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hosgood HD, Pao III, Rothman W N, et al (2013) Driver mutations among never smoking female lung cancer tissues in China identify unique EGFR and KRAS mutation pattern associated with household coal burning. Respir Med 107(11):1755–1762

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hosgood HD, Song III, Hsiung M CA, et al (2015) Interactions between household air pollution and GWAS-identified lung cancer susceptibility markers in the Female Lung Cancer Consortium in Asia (FLCCA). Hum Genet 134(3):333–341. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00439-014-1528-z

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hsiung CA, Lan Q, Hong YC et al (2010) The 5p15.33 locus is associated with risk of lung adenocarcinoma in never-smoking females in Asia. PLoS Genet. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1001051

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hu W, Downward GS, Reiss B et al (2014) Personal and indoor PM2.5 exposure from burning solid fuels in vented and unvented stoves in a rural region of China with a high incidence of lung cancer. Environ Sci Technol 48(15):8456–8464

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • IARC (1983) Polynuclear aromatic compounds, Part 1, chemical, environmental and experimental data. IARC Monogr Eval Carcinog Risk Chem Hum 32:1–453

    Google Scholar 

  • IARC (1984) Polynuclear aromatic compounds, Part 3, industrial exposures in aluminium production, coal gasification, coke production, and iron and steel founding. IARC Monogr Eval Carcinog Risk Chem Hum 34:1–219

    Google Scholar 

  • IARC (1985) Polynuclear aromatic compounds, Part 4, bitumens, coal-tars and derived products, shale-oils and soots. IARC Monogr Eval Carcinog Risk Chem Hum 35:1–247

    Google Scholar 

  • IARC (2010) Some non-heterocyclic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and some related exposures. IARC Monogr Eval Carcinog Risks Hum 92:1–853

    Google Scholar 

  • Jiang C, He S, Zhan Y, Duan H (2017) Air pollution and DNA methylation alterations in lung cancer: a systematic and comparative study. Oncotarget 8(1):1369

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kim C, Chapman RS, Hu W et al (2014) Smoky coal, tobacco smoking, and lung cancer risk in Xuanwei, China. Lung Cancer 84(1):31–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lungcan.2014.01.004

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Lan Q, Chen W, Chen H, He XZ (1993) Risk factors for lung cancer in non-smokers in Xuanwei County of China. Biomed Environ Sci BES 6(2):112–118

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lan Q, He X, Costa DJ et al (2000) Indoor coal combustion emissions, GSTM1 and GSTT1 genotypes, and lung cancer risk a case-control study in Xuan Wei, China. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 9(6):605–608

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lan Q, Chapman RS, Schreinemachers DM, Tian L, He X (2002) Household stove improvement and risk of lung cancer in Xuanwei, China. J Natl Cancer Inst 94(11):826–835

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lan Q, He X, Shen M et al (2008) Variation in lung cancer risk by smoky coal subtype in Xuanwei, China. Int J Cancer 123(9):2164–2169

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Large DJ, Kelly S, Spiro B et al (2009) Silica-Volatile Interaction and the geological cause of the Xuan Wei Lung Cancer Epiemic. Environ Sci Technol 43(23):9016–9021

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lee BC (1993) The fate of trace elements during coal combustion and gasification: an overview. Fuel 72(6):731–736

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee KM, Chapman RS, Shen M et al (2010) Differential effects of smoking on lung cancer mortality before and after household stove improvement in Xuanwei, China. Br J Cancer 103(5):727–729. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bjc.6605791

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Li XM (1989) Carcinogenicity and organic fraction of indoor inhalable particles. Zhonghua yu fang yi xue za zhi Chin J Prev Med 23(6):358–360

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li JY, Liu BQ, Li GY, Chen ZJ, Sun XI, Rong SD (1981) Atlas of cancer mortality in the People’s Republic of China. An aid for cancer control and research. Int J Epidemiol 10(2):127–133

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Li GJ, Huang YC, Tian LW et al (2013) Relationship between high incidence of lung cancer among non-smoking women and silica in C1 bituminous coal in Xuanwei,Ymman Provinee, China. Chin J Ind Hyg Occup Dis 31(1):30–36

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lin H, Ning B, Li J, Zhao G, Huang Y, Tian L (2015) Temporal trend of mortality from major cancers in Xuanwei, China. Front Med 9(4):487–495

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lui KH, Bandowe BA, Tian L et al (2017) Cancer risk from polycyclic aromatic compounds in fine particulate matter generated from household coal combustion in Xuanwei, China. Chemosphere 169:660–668. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2016.11.112

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mumford JL, He XZ, Chapman RS et al (1987) Lung cancer and indoor air pollution in Xuan Wei. Science 235(4785):217–220

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mumford J, Chapman R, Nesnow S, Helmes C, Li X (1990) Mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, and human cancer risk from indoor exposure to coal and wood combustion. In: Wei X (ed) China genetic toxicology of complex mixtures, vol 39. Plenum Press, New York, pp 157–163

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Mumford JL, Lee X, Lewtas J, Young TL, Santella RM (1993) DNA adducts as biomarkers for assessing exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in tissues from Xuan Wei women with high exposure to coal combustion emissions and high lung cancer mortality. Environ Health Perspect 99:83–87

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Mumford JL, Li X, Hu F, Lu XB, Chuang JC (1995) Human exposure and dosimetry of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urine from Xuan Wei, China with high lung cancer mortality associated with exposure to unvented coal smoke. Carcinogenesis 16(12):3031–3036

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ovcharenko D, Kelnar K, Johnson C, Leng N, Brown D (2007) Genome-scale microRNA and small interfering RNA screens identify small RNA modulators of TRAIL-induced apoptosis pathway. Cancer Res 67(22):10782–10788. https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-07-1484

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pan HL, Wen ZS, Huang YC et al (2015) Down-regulation of microRNA-144 in air pollution-related lung cancer. Sci Rep 5:14331. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep14331

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Qian M, Huang Y (2009) The Relationship between Nano-quartz Oxidative Damage and the High Expression of Nuclear Factor NF-kappaB of Lung Cancer in Xuanwei, Yunnan. Zhongguo fei ai za zhi Chin J Lung Cancer 12(11):1135–1138. https://doi.org/10.3779/j.issn.1009-3419.2009.11.01

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rau JA (1989) Composition and size distribution of residential wood smoke particles. Aerosol Sci Technol 10(1):181–192. https://doi.org/10.1080/02786828908959233

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ren H, Cao W, Chen G et al (2016) Lung cancer mortality and topography: a Xuanwei case study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13050473

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Seow WJ, Downward GS, Wei H et al (2016) Indoor concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide from burning solid fuels for cooking and heating in Yunnan Province, China. Indoor Air 26(5):776–783. https://doi.org/10.1111/ina.12251

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Seow WJ, Matsuo K, Hsiung CA et al (2017) Association between GWAS-identified lung adenocarcinoma susceptibility loci and EGFR mutations in never-smoking Asian women, and comparison with findings from Western populations. Hum Mol Genet 26(2):454–465. https://doi.org/10.1093/hmg/ddw414

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sesti F, Tsitsilonis OE, Kotsinas A, Trougakos IP (2012) Oxidative stress-mediated biomolecular damage and inflammation in tumorigenesis. In Vivo (Athens. Greece) 26(3):395–402

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shao L, Wang J, Hou H, Zhang M, Wang H, Spiro B, Large D, Zhou Y (2015) The Geochemical characteristics of C1 coal formed in PTB period in Xuanwei Yunnan. Acta Geol Sin 89(1)163–179

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Song G, Zhou Y, Chen R et al (2016) Expression and function analysis of MicroRNA-29b in Xuanwei lung cancer. Clin Lab 62(9):1739–1745. https://doi.org/10.7754/Clin.Lab.2016.160204

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Straif KAC, Samet J (2013) Air Pollution and Cancer. World Health Organization International Agency for Research On Cancer 161

  • Straif K, Baan R, Grosse Y, Secretan B, El Ghissassi F, Cogliano V (2006) Carcinogenicity of household solid fuel combustion and of high-temperature frying. The Lancet Oncology 7(12):977–978

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sun H, Brocato J, Costa M (2015) Oral chromium exposure and toxicity. Curr Environ Health Rep 2(3):295–303. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40572-015-0054-z

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Tian L (2005) Coal combustion emissions and lung-cancer in Xuan Wei, China. PhD Thesis University of California:Berkeley, CA

  • Tian LW, Koshland CP, Chapman RS, Hammond SK, Lucas D (2002) Preliminary analysis of 6 coals associated with different lung cancer rates. In: H Levin (Ed), Indoor air 2002: Proceedings of the 9th international conference on indoor air quality and climate IV, pp 1036–1041

  • Tian L, Dai S, Wang J et al (2008) Nanoquartz in Late Permian C1 coal and the high incidence of female lung cancer in the Pearl River Origin area: a retrospective cohort study. BMC Public Health 8:398

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Tian L, Koshland CP, Yano J et al (2009a) Carbon-centered free radicals in particulate matter emissions from wood and coal combustion. Energy Fuels 23:2523–2526

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Tian L, Lan Q, Yang D, He X, Yu ITS, Hammond SK (2009b) Effect of chimneys on indoor air concentrations of PM10 and benzo[a]pyrene in Xuan Wei, China. Atmos Environ 43(21):3352–3355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2009.04.004

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Valko M, Rhodes CJ, Moncol J, Izakovic M, Mazur M (2006) Free radicals, metals and antioxidants in oxidative stress-induced cancer. Chem Biol Interact 160:1–40

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Venkataraman C, Rao GU (2001) Emission factors of carbon monoxide and size-resolved aerosols from biofuel combustion. Environ Sci Technol 35(10):2100–2107

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wang TW, Vermeulen RC, Hu W et al (2015) Gene-expression profiling of buccal epithelium among non-smoking women exposed to household air pollution from smoky coal. Carcinogenesis 36(12):1494–1501. https://doi.org/10.1093/carcin/bgv150

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Z, Seow WJ, Shiraishi K et al (2016) Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies identifies multiple lung cancer susceptibility loci in never-smoking Asian women. Hum Mol Genet 25(3):620–629. https://doi.org/10.1093/hmg/ddv494

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Wei M, Zhou Y, Wen Z et al (2016) Long non-coding RNA stabilizes the Y-box-binding protein 1 and regulates the epidermal growth factor receptor to promote lung carcinogenesis. Oncotarget 7(37):59556–59571

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Wong JY, Hu W, Downward GS, Seow WJ, Bassig BA, Ji BT, Wei F, Wu G, Li J, He J, Liu CS, Cheng WL, Huang Y, Yang K, Chen Y, Rothman N, Vermeulen RC, Lan Q (2017) Personal exposure to fine particulate matter and benzo[a]pyrene from indoor air pollution and leukocyte mitochondrial DNA copy number in rural China. Carcinogenesis 38(9):893–899. https://doi.org/10.1093/carcin/bgx068

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Y, Xue Q, Pan G et al (2017) Integrated analysis of genome-wide copy number alterations and gene expression profiling of lung cancer in Xuanwei, China. PLoS One 12(1):e0169098. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0169098

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou SW, Wei YX, Li SM (1990) Free radicals and indoor air pollution in a high mortality area of lung cancer—Xuan Wei County, China. In: Indoor Air’ 90, the fifth international conference on indoor air quality and climate, Toronto

  • Zhou Y, Wang X, Huang Y et al (2015) Down-regulated SOX4 expression suppresses cell proliferation, metastasis and induces apoptosis in Xuanwei female lung cancer patients. J Cell Biochem 116(6):1007–1018. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcb.25055

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Linwei Tian.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflicts or financial disclosures to make.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Li, J., Ran, J., Chen, Lc. et al. Bituminous coal combustion and Xuan Wei Lung cancer: a review of the epidemiology, intervention, carcinogens, and carcinogenesis. Arch Toxicol 93, 573–583 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-019-02392-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-019-02392-y

Keywords

Navigation