Pollution and lung cancer: the link is now scientifically proven.

A top-level international study leaves no room for doubt and unequivocally demonstrates the close and direct relationship between pollution and lung cancer. The study was conducted by a group of researchers from National Cancer Institute (NIH) and the University of California, San Diego, USA, and involved a sample of 871 non-smoking patients, with lung cancer, from 28 countries around the world. Thanks to the whole genome sequencing, researchers have found that exposure to fine dust, and in particular to PM₂.₅ (fine particulate matter) is strongly correlated with oncogenic mutations, particularly in the gene TP53, typical of smokers who subsequently develop lung cancer. Another effect of polluted air, which translates into a huge health risk, is the shortening of telomeres, indicative of accelerated cellular aging, typical of cancer.

A systematic review, published in the magazine scientific NatureThis is important because lung cancer is increasingly common worldwide in people who have never touched a cigarette, to the point that it now accounts for between 10 and 25 percent of cases. Never before has a scientific study provided such solid evidence of a direct link between air pollution and lung cancer in nonsmokers, pointing to a specific mutagenic-genetic mechanism.