{"id":17555,"date":"2013-10-17T17:31:34","date_gmt":"2013-10-17T17:31:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ecowatch.com\/?p=308221"},"modified":"2013-10-17T17:31:34","modified_gmt":"2013-10-17T17:31:34","slug":"air-pollution-causes-cancer-world-health-organization-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leedpoints.com\/green-building-blog\/air-pollution-causes-cancer-world-health-organization-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Air Pollution Causes Cancer, World Health Organization Says"},"content":{"rendered":null,"protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"Coal<\/p>\n

It has been known for a while that air pollution<\/a> contributes to heart disease and respiratory ailments. Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) added cancer to the list of health risks caused by air pollution.<\/p>\n

There’s sufficient evidence that exposure to outdoor air pollution causes lung cancer, WHO said in a press release<\/a>. Particulate matter, a major component of outdoor air pollution, was evaluated separately and also was classified as carcinogenic to humans. Outdoor dust also can contribute to cancer. The world’s leading experts also noted a positive association with an increased risk of bladder cancer, WHO said. <\/p>\n[caption id=\"attachment_308295\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"500\"]\"Coal<\/a> Coal fired power plant in Romania. Photo credit: Creative Commons, CEE Bankwatch Network, 2013[\/caption]\n

In 2010, lung cancer resulting from air pollution killed 223,000 people worldwide. As pollution levels climb, so will the rate of cancer, WHO said.<\/p>\n

“The air we breathe has become polluted with a mixture of cancer-causing substances,” WHO spokesman Dr. Kurt Straif said in the release. “We now know that outdoor air pollution is not only a major risk to health in general, but also a leading environmental cause of cancer deaths.”<\/p>\n

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the WHO’s cancer research wing, called air pollution the worst and most widespread environmental carcinogen.<\/p>\n

“The predominant sources of outdoor air pollution are transportation, stationary power generation, industrial and agricultural emissions, and residential heating and cooking,” the IARC said.<\/p>\n

The problem of air pollution is worldwide, but people in developing countries with large populations and booming manufacturing sectors with few pollution controls are particularly at risk, the IARC said.<\/p>\n

The agency decided upon the official classification of outdoor air pollution as carcinogenic after reviewing the latest scientific writings and coming to the conclusion that the evidence was ample.<\/p>\n

The classification is an important step,  IARC Director Dr. Christopher Wild said.<\/p>\n

“There are effective ways to reduce air pollution and, given the scale of the exposure affecting people worldwide, this report should send a strong signal to the international community to take action without further delay.”<\/p>\n

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