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world today Friday 18 oct42

Polluted aircan causecancer,

WHO declares

LONDON The air we breathe in is lacedwith cancer- causing substa nces, theWorld Health Organizations (WHO)cancer agency said yesterday, rank-ing it as a carcinogen or the frst time.

The International Agency or Re-search on Cancer (IARC) cited data in-dicating that, in 2010, 223,000 deathsworldwide rom lung cancer resultedrom air pollution. Its study also showedthere was convincing evidence air pollu-tion increases the risk o bladder cancer.

We consider this (polluted air) to

Air pollution, mostly chicles, power generationor agricultural emissionresidential heating andalready known to raise th

wide range o illnesses, inpiratory and heart diseas

The IARC has previousome o the components insuch as diesel umes, to be c

but this is the frst time it hair pollution in its entir

cer causing.Research suggests th

years, exposure levels hanifcantly in some parts oparticularly in countriespopulations that are gorapid industrialisation, su

We now know that outlution is not only a major rin general, but also a leadmental cause o cancer dMr Strai.

In a statement releaweek-long meeting o exping the latest scientifc litIARC said outdoor air pparticulate matter aponent o polluted air wclassiied among its Gro

carcinogens.That ranks them alon

than 100 other known cing substances in Groupasbestos, plutonium, silic

violet radiation and tobacThe results rom the s

in the same direction: Thveloping lung cancer is sigcreased in people exposelution, said Ms Dana LooHead o the programme.

Al tho ugh bot h the cand amounts o polluted dramatically rom one locnext, the IARC said its conplied to all regions in the

IARC Director Christ

said the agencys decisiooutdoor air pollution as ic to humans was an imptowards alerting governdangers and potential co

There are eective waair pollution and, given thexposure aecting peoplethis report should send anal to the international cotake action, he added.

The act that nearly eveworld is exposed to outdocould prompt governmenagencies to adopt stricterspewing umes, said Mring that the WHO and thCommission are reviewinommended limits on air p

Other experts emphascancer risk arising rom pthe average person was

but virtua lly unavoidableYou can choose not

smoke, but you cant contor not youre exposed to aisaid Proessor Francesc

who studies biost atisticsUniversitys School o Pu

but w as not connec ted texpert panel.

You cannot just debreathe, she added.AgeN

We considerthis (pollutedair) to bethe mostimportantenvironmen-tal carcinogen more sothan passivesmoking.

Mr Kurt straifhead of the IaRC

depaRtments

monogRaphs

pRogRamme

be the most important environmentalcarcinogen more so than passivesmoking, said Mr Kurt Strai, Head othe IARC departments monographsprogramme, which evaluates cancer-causing substances.

The programme, at times knownas the encyclopaedia o carcinogens,aims to be an authoritative source oscientifc evidence on cancer-causingsubstances. The WHO is a Geneva-

based agency o the United Nations o-

cused on global public-health matters.