World Health Organization: Outdoor Pollution can Lead to Cancer

Air pollution has been traced to many dangerous health problems that can result in cancer. Yet a new study conducted through the International Agency for Research (IARC) on Cancer found that classified outdoor air pollution shows sufficient evidence that it can result in a higher risk of lung cancer. In fact, the IARC has classified air pollution to be a grade 1 carcinogen. 

IARC is a cancer agency of the World Health Organization that's based in Lyon, France, and health experts now have classified particulate matter, another component of air pollution, as an independent risk factor for certain cancers.

"The air we breathe has become polluted with a mixture of cancer-causing substances," Dr. Kurt Straif, Head of the IARC Monographs Section said, according to a press release. "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 researchers looked at a data analysis of over 1,000 studies conducted in five continents. Researchers found that transportation, agricultural emissions, households and power stations constitute the main sources of air pollution -- particularly in urban areas.

"Classifying outdoor air pollution as carcinogenic to humans is an important step," IARC Director Dr Christopher Wild said, via the release. "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."

National Geographic notes that smog hanging over cities is the most common and familiar type of air pollution. Yet different kinds of pollution--both visible and invisible--can contribute to global warming and cause serious side-effects for the environment and the individual's living in those areas.

Any actions taken now to prevent future problems regarding greenhouse gas, sulfur dioxide and other chemicals that sift into the air and cause the death of plants and animals, as well as health complications for humans, can help prevent potential problems that could occur down the road.  

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More information regarding this study can be found via the journal Environment Science and Technology.