According to recently released data, even people who have never smoked can develop lung cancer as a result of air pollution.
By rewriting our understanding of them, the research’s conclusions may aid the medical field in preventing and treating tumors.
According to reports, scientists discovered that tiny particles in polluted air activated cancer genes already present but dormant in an individual’s lungs that were already irritated from breathing the polluted air. The study aids medical professionals in understanding why non-smokers frequently get lung cancer or tumors.
“Globally, more people are exposed to unsafe levels of air pollution than to toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke, and these new data link the importance of addressing climate health to improving human health,” said?Professor Charles Swanton of the Francis Crick Institute.?
The $16 million initiative was funded by Cancer Research UK, and the long-term investigation was carried out by Francis Crick Institute. To conduct the study, the researchers measured the exposure to PM 2.5 in over 400,000 persons from the UK, Taiwan, and South Korea.
The study’s results were published in the backdrop of a Canadian study that found that even very low amounts of pollution can be dangerous and, over time, seriously impact one’s health.
According to Canadian studies, 8000 people in the nation pass away each year due to air pollution. It surprised me because, during the previous few decades, Canada has typically been responsible for quite low pollution levels.
The mechanism we’ve identified could ultimately help us to find better ways to prevent and treat lung cancer in never smokers.?The next step is to discover why some lung cells with mutations become cancerous when exposed to pollutants while others don’t. added Professor Swanton.
The study considered data on air pollution from the years 1981 to 2016 as well as information on more than 7 million Canadians during that time.
According to these findings, there could be significant health benefits from continuing to reduce air pollution and enforcing stricter regulations, even in nations like Canada and the UK, said Prof. Michael Brauer of the University of British Columbia.
Parvathy Sukumaran 
