Air Quality and Risk of Lung Cancer

[Guest guest]

AIR QUALITY & THE RISK OF LUNG CANCER

Here in Los Angeles, some people jokingly claim not to trust any air that

can't be seen with the naked eye. Most of us know, however, that chronic

exposure to polluted air causes a range of respiratory ailments and other

health problems, including an increased risk of emphysema and heart disease.

Now there is compelling evidence that breathing bad air may also increase

your risk of developing lung cancer, even if you don't smoke. In this week's

Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), an ongoing American

Cancer Society study of almost 1.2 million adults provides some concerning

perspective on this subject. The study was initiated in 1982, and has

continuously followed its volunteers' health outcomes over the years. From

this large group of volunteers, the authors of the JAMA study were able to

evaluate a smaller group of approximately 500,000 volunteers between 1982

and 1998. All volunteers lived in metropolitan areas that tabulated air

pollution data on a regular basis. After correcting for known lung cancer

risk factors (primarily exposure to cigarette smoke and certain occupational

hazards) and cardiopulmonary disease risk factors, the authors then

correlated the incidence of lung cancer and cardiopulmonary disease with air

quality factors.

They found that fine particulate and sulfur oxide pollutants were associated

with a significantly increased risk of dying from heart disease, non-cancer

lung disease, and lung cancer (these air pollutants are largely the

byproducts of combustion, and their sources primarily include automobiles,

as well as power plants and factories that burn fossil fuels and other

combustible fuels). Increasing levels of these pollutants in the air further

increased the risk of dying from any of these conditions. During the study

period, the study participants living in American cities with the worst

pollution experienced a 12% increase in the risk of dying from lung cancer

as compared to people living in areas with the cleanest air. To put this

into perspective, this is comparable to the 15 to 25 percent increased risk

of dying of lung cancer that non-smokers experience with chronic exposure to

a smoking spouse's secondhand smoke. Although not evaluated in this study,

smokers who live in areas with significant air pollution are thought to

incur an especially high risk of dying from heart and lung diseases,

including lung cancer.

Dr. A. Wascher is a regular columnist/contributor at Jewish World

Review and a senior research fellow in molecular & surgical oncology at the

Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa , CA. Visit Dr. Wascher's web

site.

http://www.doctorwascher.yourmd.com/ypol/user/userMain.asp?siteid=297923