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LONDON The air we breathe in is laced with cancer-causing substances, the World Health Organizations (WHO) cancer agency said yesterday, ranking it as a carcinogen for the first time. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) cited data indicating that, in 2010, 223,000 deaths worldwide from lung cancer resulted from air pollution. Its study also showed there was convincing evidence air pollution increases the risk of bladder cancer. We consider this (polluted air) to

today Friday 18 October 2013

Polluted air can cause cancer, WHO declares

be the most important environmental carcinogen more so than passive smoking, said Mr Kurt Straif, Head of the IARC departments monographs programme, which evaluates cancercausing substances. The programme, at times known as the encyclopaedia of carcinogens, aims to be an authoritative source of scientific evidence on cancer-causing substances. The WHO is a Genevabased agency of the United Nations focused on global public-health matters.

We consider this (polluted air) to be the most important environmental carcinogen more so than passive smoking.
Mr Kurt Straif
head of the IARC departments monographs programme

Air pollution, mostly caused by vehicles, power generation, industrial or agricultural emissions as well as residential heating and cooking, is already known to raise the risks of a wide range of illnesses, including respiratory and heart diseases. The IARC has previously deemed some of the components in polluted air, such as diesel fumes, to be carcinogens, but this is the first time it has classified air pollution in its entirety as cancercausing. Research suggests that, in recent years, exposure levels have risen significantly in some parts of the world, particularly in countries with large populations that are going through rapid industrialisation, such as China. We now know that outdoor air pollution is not only a major risk to health in general, but also a leading environmental cause of cancer deaths, said Mr Straif. In a statement released after a week-long meeting of experts reviewing the latest scientific literature, the IARC said outdoor air pollution and particulate matter a major component of polluted air would now be classified among its Group 1 human carcinogens. That ranks them alongside more than 100 other known cancer-causing substances in Group 1, including asbestos, plutonium, silica dust, ultraviolet radiation and tobacco smoke. The results from the studies point in the same direction: The risk of developing lung cancer is significantly increased in people exposed to air pollution, said MsDana Loomis, Deputy Head of the programme. Although both the composition and amounts of polluted air can vary dramatically from one location to the next, the IARC said its conclusions applied to all regions in the world. IARC Director Christopher Wild said the agencys decision to classify outdoor air pollution as carcinogenic to humans was an important step towards alerting governments of its dangers and potential costs. There are effective ways to reduce air pollution and, given the scale of the exposure affecting people worldwide, this report should send a strong signal to the international community to take action, he added. The fact that nearly everyone in the world is exposed to outdoor pollution could prompt governments and other agencies to adopt stricter controls on spewing fumes, said Mr Straif, noting that the WHO and the European Commission are reviewing their recommended limits on air pollution. Other experts emphasised that the cancer risk arising from pollution for the average person was very low but virtually unavoidable. You can choose not to drink or smoke, but you cant control whether or not youre exposed to air pollution, said Professor Francesca Dominici, who studies biostatistics at Harvard Universitys School of Public Health, but was not connected to the IARC expert panel. You cannot just decide not to breathe, she added. Agencies