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Air pollution causes cancer - WHO
October 17, 2013
Air pollution causes cancer - WHO
Pollutants in the air we breathe have been classed as a leading environmental cause of cancer by the World Health Organization. Sources of pollution include car exhausts, power stations, emissions from agriculture and industry ? as well as heating in people’s homes.
The WHO said the classification should act as a strong message to governments to take action. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a part of WHO, has now classed air pollution as the same category as tobacco smoke, UV radiant and plutonium. It said that air pollution had been known to cause heart and lung diseases, but evidence had now emerged that it was also causing lung cancer.
Dr. Kurt Straif, from IARC, said: “The air we breathe has become polluted with a mixture of cancer causing substances. 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.”
Read more at BBC News.
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