There is unequivocal evidence on the
link between air pollution and lung cancer
even in non-smokers
.
This was stated by the Italian Society of Environmental Medicine (Sima) commenting on the results of the research on 247 lung biopsy samples presented at
the European Congress of Medical Oncology (ESMO)
and carried out by the
University College of London
.
"The English study just presented at ESMO has identified for the first time one of the mechanisms underlying the onset of lung tumors in non-smokers, linking this dramatic pathology to the inhalation of fine particles, with particular reference to PM 2.5" he declared the
president of Sima
,
Alessandro Miani
, adding that "in the animal models used, exposure to atmospheric particulate matter was in fact able to induce lung cancer in mice carrying the EGFR gene mutation: in practice, the English research has shown how
the PM 2.5
acted as a
real trigger for the expression of the pro-cancerous mutation
".
"The same mutation was then found in the majority of lung biopsy samples from hospitalized non-smoking patients with a frequency of 1 cell for every 600 examined" continued Miani, specifying that "
exposure to fine particles such as those we breathe in our cities it would therefore trigger
, among other things,
an amplification mechanism of EGFR gene mutations mediated by the pro-inflammatory protein Interleukin 1 Beta
".
"However, it is conceivable that
the pollutants that we breathe
and that reach the depths of our respiratory tree and then enter the bloodstream
are able to carry out a broader action of triggering oncogenes and inactivating tumor suppressor genes.
, of which the discovery of the British researchers represents the tip of the iceberg, however constituting a first experimental proof of the harmfulness to our health of air pollution "continued the president of Sima, highlighting how" these discoveries must not only open new avenues for desirable pharmacological therapies, but to strengthen the focus on the need for true primary prevention by removing the exposure of citizens to the unacceptable levels of atmospheric pollutants to which we are subjected in Italy, as in Europe ".
In short, in the coming years, among the damage to health caused by smog and the weather, there will also be tumors.
And this is not entirely new.
Environmental pollution
(in particular atmospheric pollution)
includes various carcinogenic substances
originating from human activities (vehicular traffic, industries, domestic heating) or from natural sources
and it is estimated that in Italy it is responsible for up to 10 out of 100 cases of cancer
.
Statistics indicate that around
15-20% of people who get sick do not smoke
.
Furthermore, the role of passive smoking
, which increases the danger, especially for children,
is still too underestimated .
"The British study also demonstrates how investments in scientific and biomedical research are indispensable to reach levels of knowledge adequate to face the most current challenges for human and planetary health", Miani emphasized, concluding "it is now necessary that Italy too adheres to the proposal of the new European directive on air quality being prepared in Brussels, to comply with the health safety limits recently set by the WHO ".