Toxic pollutants pervading in the air are taking a toll on the lungs of the people in the country with health experts noticing a rise in lung cancer among non-smokers too besides tobacco smokers.
The classification of outdoor air pollution as a Group 1 carcinogen by the World Health Organization (WHO) emphasizes the severity of the problem. This classification puts air pollution in the same category as substances like asbestos and tobacco smoke in terms of its potential to cause cancer.
“There are environmental and occupational determinants of lung cancer,” said Dr. Abhishek Shankar Assistant Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, AIIMS, Delhi, mentioning the rise in incidence of lung cancer among non-smokers.
Lung cancer screening implementation can be part of a larger effort to educate the population about preventive healthcare and the benefits of early screening, he suggested at the ASSOCHAM 2nd Conference on ‘Lung Cancer- Enabling Innovations in Treatment Pathways’ held recently here to mark the ongoing lung cancer awareness month.
Dr Sudhir Kalhan, Chairperson ASSOCHAM National Digital Healthcare Task Force focused on strong condemnation of deteriorating environment causing air pollution. “There is a definite link of rising incidence of lung cancer in non-smokers due to air pollution,” he said, underscoring the need for effective implementation of the policies to curb air pollution.
The Five major air pollutants are Ground-level ozone (O3), Particle Pollution (also known as particulate matter, including PM2.5 and PM10), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2).
“By integrating advanced diagnostics, accessible treatments, education, research, and support services, we aim to empower both healthcare professionals and patients in their journey toward better lung health,” he said.
Dr. Yutaro Setoya, Team Lead, Non-Communicable Diseases, WHO, India, in his special address highlighted how 8.1% of cancer-related deaths are attributed to lung cancer.
Annually, 1 lakh people are diagnosed with lung cancer and the disease significantly impacts the working-age population, said Dr Setoya while Dr. Dipjyoti Das, Head Medical Planning and operations, Assam Cancer care Foundation talked about delivering equitable and affordable healthcare in backward regions.
Prof Dr D S Rana Chairperson ASSOCHAM National Healthcare Council and Board of Trustees, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital dwelled in detail how smoking is directly linked to lung cancer and how it acts as a barrier affecting lung health.
“Smoking is by far the leading risk factor for lung cancer. About 80% of lung cancer deaths are thought to result from smoking,” he said while at the same time, Neelima Dwivedi from MSD Pharmaceuticals expressed concerns that India is the 2nd largest consumer in the world for tobacco and over 28% of the Indian population consume it.
Health experts felt that anti-air pollution policies are inadequate in protecting public health as more people are being "exposed to unsafe levels of air pollution than to toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke" and the new evidence links "the importance of climate health to improving human health."
Globally India has been ranked 5th country with the highest air pollution among 118 countries. In 2019, a worldwide survey found among the 30 most polluted cities 21 are in India with some of these plagued by high levels of fine particulate pollution.
Children and the elderly are especially vulnerable due to their less efficient or impaired particle clearance mechanisms.
According to a 2023 study by researchers from Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, chronic exposure to fine particulate air pollutants (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) may increase lung cancer risk in older adults. The study was published in Environmental Epidemiology.
Some of the effects of lung cancer are constant cough, coughing up blood, chest pain, indescribable loss in weight, effects of medical care such as surgery, chemotherapy immunotherapy can cause alopecia, changes in food desires, and tiredness, as per the health experts.
“Unless we have stricter environmental laws, air pollution will continue to result in thousands of unnecessary cases of multiple cancers each year,” they added.