today's video topic is air pollution and lung cancer what is the link cancer is one of the leading causes of death globally accounting for almost 60 percent of deaths according to the who lung cancer was the most lethal form of cancer in 2020. linked to 1.8 million deaths it is also the second most common cancer after breast cancer when you think of the risk factors for lung cancer what comes to mind most of us think about the risk associated with smoking cigarettes but did you know that air pollution can also cause lung cancer overwhelming evidence
shows that particle pollution in the outdoor air we breathe like that coming from vehicle exhaust coal-fired powered plants and other industrial sources can cause lung cancer a new mechanism has been identified through which very small pollutant particles in the air May trigger lung cancer in people who have never smoked the particles which are typically found in vehicle exhaust and smoke from fossil fuels are associated with non-small cell lung cancer nsclc risk accounting for over 250 000 lung cancer deaths globally per year air pollution is a hidden enemy that threatens everyone the same particles in the
air that derive from the combustion of fossil fuels exacerbating climate change are directly impacting human health via an important and previously overlooked cancer-causing mechanism in lung cells the risk of lung cancer from air pollution is lower than from smoking globally more people are exposed to unsafe levels of air pollution than to toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke exposure to air pollution is estimated to contribute to 62 000 lung cancer deaths per year worldwide a large number of deaths to be sure but considerably less than the 712 000 deaths from non-malignant cardiac and respiratory disease attributable to
air pollution these impacts are largely borne by the populations of Highly polluted cities in developing countries roughly 60 percent of the world's burden of air pollution attributed disease in 2013 the World Health Organization who International Agency for research on cancer looked at all the available science and concluded that particulate matter causes lung cancer that same year an eight-year-old girl in China was diagnosed with lung cancer becoming China's youngest lung cancer patient her doctor said that her lung cancer was a result of air pollution levels of exposure to air pollution have increased significantly in some parts
of the world mostly in low and middle income countries with large populations according to the who particle pollution is a mix of tiny solid and liquid particles in the air and can be made up of a number of components such as acids organic chemicals metals soil and dust particles it can be emitted directly from wood stoves forest fires vehicles and other sources it can also form from other types of pollution that come from sources like power plants a mix of solids and liquids including carbon complex organic chemicals sulfates nitrates mineral dust and water suspended in
the air bigger particles can irritate your eyes nose and throat but our natural devices help us to cough or sneeze them out of our bodies unfortunately those defenses don't keep out smaller particles which get trapped deep in the lungs and can even get into the bloodstream causing damage to our health thank you for watching our video please do not forget to like and share the video also please subscribe to the channel to stay updated on our latest videos
