A prospective study of Chinese individuals (n = 510,125) showed that long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) increased the risk of oesophageal cancer. For each 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5, the hazard ratio was 1.16 (95% CI 1.04–1.30) for oesophageal cancer incidence. The population attributable risk owing to an annual average PM2.5 concentration ≥35 μg/m3 was 23.3% (95% CI 6.6–40.0%), higher than the risks attributable to lifestyle factors, such as smoking and hot tea preference.