HEALTH WATCH: Lung cancer smoking gun found

By Dr Cory Couillard
Air pollution has long been known to cause heart and lung diseases, but evidence now supports that it’s a leading environmental cause of lung cancer.

As a result, the World Health Organization has classified air pollution in the same category as tobacco smoke, UV radiation and plutonium.

A thorough review of the most recent data suggests that 223 000 lung cancer deaths were directly caused by air pollution. The data also links pollution to the development of bladder cancer.

The main sources of environmental air pollution were found to be from industries such as power stations and emissions from agriculture. Fossil fuel emissions from cars and trucks have skyrocketed in recent years with rapid urbanization and the increased reliance on motorized transport of people and goods.

Environmental air pollution also includes smoke and emissions from burning rubbish, firewood and charcoal. These activities occur in and around the home and are major causes of respiratory disease in both adults and children. Cancer aside, children also experience more generalised illness, such as bronchitis, asthma and earaches when exposed to the chemical onslaught of environmental pollution.

The exact cause and effect of pollutants on health is often impossible to obtain. This is due to individual differences such as genetics, one’s overall health, history of exposure and a pollutants reaction time. Certain individuals are affected more than the rest of the population such as the elderly, children, pregnant women and the handicapped.

There are the many types of air pollution that contaminate the air and awareness is growing about the dangers they can pose to one’s health. Environmental pollution is often outside one’s control and the public must focus on what they can change, versus what they can’t.

“There's also a lot we can do as individuals to lower our chances of developing the disease such as being more physically active and adopting a healthier diet," says Dr Rachel Thompson, head of research interpretation at the World Cancer Research Fund International.

"This latest evidence confirms the need for government, industry and multinational bodies to urgently address environmental causes of cancer.”

Dr Cory Couillard is an international health columnist working in collaboration with the World Health Organization's goals of disease prevention and global health care education. Views do not necessarily reflect endorsement.