Outdoor air pollution can cause lung cancer, a World Health Organization agency said, ranking it as a carcinogen for the first time.

Pollution was also linked to an increased risk of bladder cancer, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, based in Lyon, France, said in a statement on its Web site today, citing a review of studies.

Air pollution, which has also been linked to heart disease, caused about 223,000 deaths from lung cancer globally in 2010, according to the IARC. Particulate matter, which comes from vehicles, power plants, other industrial sites and biomass burning and is a major component of the pollution, was evaluated separately and also found to cause cancer.


photo credit: http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/

“This report should send a strong signal to the international community to take action,” said IARC Director Christopher Wild. “We can’t treat our way out of this cancer problem. The first step is identifying the causes.”

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-17/outdoor-air-pollution-causes-lung-cancer-who-says.html