Pollution increases the risk of lung cancer

Pollution increases the risk of lung cancer

 Long-term exposure to air pollution , even in the case of levels that are below the limits set by the European Union , increases the risk of developing lung cancer , especially adenocarcinoma.

This is the conclusion reached by a study by European researchers to test the impact a long-term continuous exposure to nitrogen oxides and particles-those with a diameter less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5) and less than 10 microns (PM10) - on the risk of lung cancer.

The emissions from vehicle traffic, industry and heating, are major sources of particulate matter pollution, and scientists calculated the concentration of air pollution in homes and tracked new cases of lung cancer detected in the study participants.

In the study published by The Lancet Oncology ', statistical models were applied to differentiate the influence that had contaminants in the air of other risk factors such as smoking , diet and occupation.

The results of the study show that for every increase of five micrograms per cubic mere PM2.5 pollution increased by 18% the risk of lung cancer, while for every increase of ten micrograms per cubic meter in PM10 pollution, increased 22% risk of this neoplasia.

The authors of the study explained that they have not found any contamination threshold below which no health risk and that this risk was maintained even when the concentrations of harmful particles remain below the limits set by the EU for the European air quality.