New Delhi, November 21 (IANS). As the air quality continues to remain poor in the national capital, experts have said that non-smokers are getting lung cancer due to air pollution.
Meanwhile, after eight days of severe air pollution, the air quality in Delhi improved slightly on Thursday. At 7 am, the overall air quality index (AQI) stood at 379, putting the city in the “very poor” category.
Dr. Ashish Gupta, Head of Medical Oncology at Unique Hospital Cancer Centre, told IANS, “Although the cause of lung cancer is smoking cigarette, pipe or cigar, but increasing cases of cancer are being seen even among non-smokers.” The reasons behind which mainly include passive smoking, radon, air pollution, asbestos and family history. “Prolonged exposure to particulate matter (PM) can cause changes in lung cells, leading to uncontrolled cell growth.”
A recent research published in the Lancet e-Clinical Medicine journal has revealed that the majority of lung cancer patients in India are non-smokers. This is due to increased exposure to air pollution.
Dr Rahul Bhargava, Principal Director of Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplant at Fortis Memorial Research Institute, told IANS: “Increasing levels of air pollution in India is leading to increasing cases of lung cancer. Pollutants like PM 2.5 and toxic gases “Long-term exposure to CO causes damage to lung tissue, increasing the risk of cancer.”
“The most common type of lung cancer in non-smokers is adenocarcinoma, which usually starts in the outer regions of the lungs,” the doctor said.
Despite slight improvement in Delhi, several air monitoring stations in the national capital still recorded AQI levels above 400, which is categorized as “severe” according to the Central Pollution Control Board. Jahangirpuri and Wazirpur recorded the highest reading of 437, followed by Bawana at 419 and Ashok Vihar and Mundka at 416, the agency said.
The increasing air pollution has also increased the incidence of several respiratory diseases like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the capital.
Dr Harsh Mahajan, Chairman, FICCI-Health and Services, told IANS: “There has been an increase of about 20 per cent in the number of patients complaining of breathing problems compared to last month, with most of the cases already in respiratory condition. are linked to people suffering from diseases that have increased due to pollution-induced inflammation.”
To avoid further deterioration of health, experts stressed the need to adopt preventive measures, including wearing N95 masks and avoiding going out as much as possible. Use home air purifiers to improve air quality at home.
He has advised people to take special care of their health, not to ignore symptoms like shortness of breath, persistent cough or chest pain and to seek immediate medical help.
-IANS
MKS/KR
