Al-Marsad Newspaper – Agencies: Researchers have come up with a mechanism that explains the role of polluted air in raising the rates of lung cancer in people who have never smoked.
The study, conducted by the Francis Crick Institute and University College London in Britain, says that the new mechanism can help researchers find better ways to prevent and treat lung cancer in people who have never smoked, according to the American “Axios” news site.
The study was presented at the European Oncology Congress, which was held in Paris between 9 and 12 September.
Poor air quality caused more than 250,000 lung cancer deaths worldwide in 2019, and rising temperatures due to climate change are expected to worsen air quality even more.
Charles Swanton, lead author of the study, said: ‘Particles in the air from fossil fuel combustion exacerbate climate change and directly affect human health through a previously overlooked carcinogenic mechanism in lung cells.
“The risk of lung cancer from air pollution is lower than the risk from smoking, but we don’t have control over what we all breathe,” he added.