Cancer and air pollution

Air pollution is threatening progress being made in reducing the burden of cancer worldwide by contributing to the rise of the number of cancer diagnoses each year – cancers that are preventable. Reducing air pollution only directly mitigates the risk of developing lung cancer, but the actions to do so – increased green spaces, cleaner energy sources, active transportation (walking and cycling) – also leads to a range of health benefits, including healthier diet, increased physical activity and lower rates of other non-communicable diseases and co-morbidities – which can reduce the likelihood of developing other cancers.

The global cost of health damages associated with exposure to air pollution is estimated at USD 8.1 trillion, equivalent to 6.1% of global GDP, according the World Bank.

The benefits of reducing exposure to air pollution are far reaching. 

Facts on air pollution, health and cancer

At the ESMO 2022 Presidential Symposium, Prof. Charles Swanton of the Francis Crick Institute presented research that highlighted the same particles that contribute to climate change are impacting human health via an important cancer-causing mechanism in lung cells. 

The Lancet Commission on pollution and health established that all forms of pollution cause 43% of lung cancer deaths. Air pollution alone causes up to 29% of all lung cancer deaths. The decrease in deaths due to indoor pollution has been outpaced by the significant rise in outdoor air pollution. 

What can be done

Governments around the world have acknowledged the adverse effects of household and ambient air pollution on their populations, but work to address these risk factors has been uneven. 6,000 cities in 117 countries now measure air quality but there is no evidence that this monitoring has yet led to an improvement in air quality. In fact, not a single one of the world’s 100 biggest cities managed to meet WHO air pollution guidelines. 

In 2015, governments adopted a resolution at the World Health Assembly, which recognises that air pollution causes global health inequities, disproportionately affecting children, women and older adults, as well as low-income populations. In response, WHO developed an action plan to respond to the impacts of air pollution on different populations and is developing a series of cost-effective measures to accompany the NCD ‘Best Buys’. It has issued global Air Quality Guidelines.

The United Nations have called for an end to the financing of fossil fuels, and urge governments to enforce effective regulation to curb emissions and reduce the use of fossil fuels and other air pollutants. There is also a need for global development initiatives to help lower-income countries transition to cleaner household heating and cooking materials and cleaner energy sources. 

WHO has issued new Global Air Quality Guidelines to assist governments in developing effective policies, such as: 

• prioritise the reduction of air pollution in urban areas; 

• promote active transport (e.g., cycling and walking); 

• reduce vehicle emissions; 

• transition to cleaner energy sources; 

• address indoor air pollution, particularly in households that rely on solid fuels for cooking and heating; 

• develop national air quality standards and regulations; 

• establish air quality monitoring systems to track progress towards meeting these standards. 

Other tools designed by WHO include AirQ+, a software to assess health risks associated with air pollution, and the Carbon Reduction Benefits on Health (CaRBonH) calculation tool, which enables governments to quantify the physical and economic benefits achieved through improvements in country-level air quality.  

UICC’s work 

In 2023, UICC applied for a grant from the Clean Air Fund to fund a two-year project aimed at raising awareness among UICC’s membership and beyond about air pollution as a major preventable cancer risk factor and to advocate for clean air action. 

The project has several objectives: 

• Establish an expert group to synthesise the latest global evidence, spotlight best practices and identify research gaps on the impact of air pollution on cancer in a series of reports. 

• Implement a communication campaign to raise awareness and understanding of air pollution as a cancer risk factor, including at the World Cancer Leaders’ Summit and the World Cancer Congress. 

• Support a World Health Assembly resolution on climate change and health, working with Member State to encourage governments to take more action nationally.