Also quoted here: Outdoor air pollution a leading cause of cancer, say UN health experts(UN News, Oct. 17, 2013)
And here: IARC Scientific Publication No. 161 - Air Pollution and Cancer(245 pages ePUB, Kurt Straif, Aaron Cohen, and Jonathan Samet, International Agency for Research on Cancer, 2013)
And here: Air pollution a leading cause of cancer - U.N. agency(Reuters, Oct. 17, 2013)
Today we review a report from the UN has now classified outdoor air pollution among its highest health threat level (of 4 levels) as a Group 1 human carcinogen, after analyzing pollution data from around the world. This should “send a strong signal to the international community to take action without further delay.”
Key Quotes:
“An evaluation by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Monographs Programme found there is sufficient evidence that exposure to outdoor air pollution causes lung cancer and increases the risk for bladder cancer.”
“People take thousands of breaths daily, leading to a total intake of about 10 000 litres of air per day. Consequently, the lung receives significant doses of many air contaminants, even those present at seemingly low and trivial concentrations.”
“in 2010, 223,000 deaths from lung cancer worldwide resulted from air pollution…the risk was found to be similar to that of breathing in second-hand tobacco smoke…exposure levels have risen significantly in some parts of the world, particularly countries with large populations going through rapid industrialization, such as China.”
“both air pollution and "particulate matter" - a major component of it - would now be classified among its Group 1 human carcinogens…alongside more than 100 other known cancer-causing substances in IARC's Group 1, including asbestos, plutonium, silica dust, ultraviolet radiation and tobacco smoke.”
“The air we breathe has become polluted with a mixture of cancer-causing substances…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.”
“The predominant sources of outdoor air pollution are transportation, stationary power generation, industrial and agricultural emissions, and residential heating and cooking.”
“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 without further delay.”
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