Air pollution increases lung cancer risk in healthy people who have never smoked – study

According to a new study published in the scientific journal Nature, prolonged exposure to high levels of air pollution can lead to lung cancer even among those who have never smoked, reports BGR.

A study has shown that prolonged exposure to air with high levels of particulate matter (PM2.5) can cause mutations in lung cells and lead to cancer in people who have never smoked. Patients from polluted areas had significantly more mutations than those from clean areas.

The pollution levels were estimated using satellite data and ground-based measurements. The study included tumor samples from 871 patients from Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. The scientists performed whole-genome DNA sequencing and looked for characteristic mutation "signatures" – traces of the effects of toxic substances on cells.

Residents of polluted regions had significantly more genetic changes in lung tissue, including those associated with tumor formation. One mutational signature associated with smoking was four times more common among residents of polluted regions. In addition, accelerated cellular aging was 76 percent more common.

The study shows that prolonged exposure of healthy people to polluted air can cause changes similar to those caused by smoking or natural aging of cells. However, the main problem is that with increasing concentrations of particulate matter in the air, the number of harmful mutations in the lungs increases, leading to irreparable consequences.