Air Pollution and Cancer
Updated May, 2022
*Air pollution is associated with higher rates of breast, lung, prostate, cervical, brain, nasal, pharyngeal, liver, pancreatic and stomach cancer, and adult and childhood leukemia. Pre-natal pollution exposure is associated with increased rates of multiple childhood cancers.
*World health experts now believe that nearly 30% of lung cancer is due to air pollution.
*Air pollution is associated with decreased survival in patients with all types of cancer, especially breast cancer. Air pollution decreases the efficacy of chemotherapy.
*The World Health Organization has declared air pollution the most important environmental cause of cancer, more important that second hand cigarette smoke. The WHO placed it in the same category as asbestos and ionizing radiation.