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Summary
Urban air pollution contributes to lung cancer, especially when combined with smoking. However, even without smoking, urban carcinogens cause a small number of lung cancer cases annually.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Oncology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Lung cancer incidence is higher in urban environments compared to rural areas.
- Occupational hazards do not fully explain this urban excess.
- Urban air pollution is a suspected contributing factor to lung cancer development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of urban air pollution in lung cancer.
- To assess the contribution of atmospheric carcinogens to lung cancer rates.
- To explore the synergistic effects of pollutants and cigarette smoke on lung cancer.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of lung cancer mortality trends in England and Wales.
- Evaluation of occupational studies on air pollutants and cancer.
- Estimation of lung cancer cases attributable to atmospheric carcinogens in non-smokers.
Main Results:
- Urban air pollution is a plausible cause of excess lung cancer.
- Pollutants in urban air can cause lung cancer and may act synergistically with cigarette smoke.
- In non-smokers, atmospheric carcinogens account for approximately 5 lung cancer cases per 100,000 persons annually in European populations.
Conclusions:
- Atmospheric pollution plays a role in lung cancer development.
- The combined effect of urban carcinogens and cigarette smoke increases lung cancer risk.
- While significant, the independent contribution of urban air pollution to lung cancer is relatively small in European populations.