Raises risk
Outdoor air pollution
fine particles and traffic and industrial pollution. Home & environment.
- Verdict
- Raises riskStudies link it to higher cancer risk.
- How sure
- Rung 5 · EstablishedLarge randomized trials or overwhelming, consistent human evidence; reflected in major guidelines.
- How big
- About 223,000 lung cancer deaths worldwide in 2010, per the WHO's cancer agency.
The rung shows how sure the science is, not how big the effect is. How to read these ratings
Cancers affected
Lung
What the evidence shows
The WHO's cancer agency classifies outdoor air pollution and particulate matter as causes of cancer (Group 1), and estimated 223,000 lung cancer deaths worldwide from air pollution in 2010. The National Cancer Institute says living with more air pollution raises lung cancer risk.
What to do
Check air quality alerts and limit time outdoors on bad days; support cleaner air where you live.
Sources
To take it to your doctor, print this page.
Step by step
For the whole picture, from prevention and screening to treatment and life after, see the lung cancer page.