With the Southeast Asian region being home to 14 of the world’s top 20 polluted cities, the WHO on Wednesday called for urgent preventive steps to check pollution which can increase the risk of cancer.
WHO said that every year 8.2 million people die from the disease across the world and two-thirds of these deaths occur in low and middle income countries. It also said tobacco use, both in smoke and smokeless forms accounts for 22 per cent of cancer deaths globally and is a “leading” cause of the disease in the region.
WHO’s Southeast Asian region comprises Bangladesh, Bhutan, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri lanka, Thailand and Timor-leste. “Outdoor air pollution, meanwhile, increases the risk of cancer for us all. The region has 14 of the world’s top 20 polluted cities, making clear the need for governments to tackle the issue with a sense of urgency,” said Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO Regional Director for Southeast Asia on the eve of World Cancer Day in a statement here. She said that in the region, occupational hazards and exposure to environmental substances continue to be a source of cancer and premature death.
Around 3.5 lakh people in India succumb to cancer every year, the Indian Society for Clinical Research (ISCR) added referring to the WHO World Cancer Report 2015.