00:00Within just three years, exposure to high concentrations of tiny particles in the air can increase the risk of developing
00:07lung cancer.
00:08A study published in the journal Nature focused on the relationship between PM2.5 and a type of lung cancer
00:15found in non-smokers and light smokers.
00:17The Daily Beast describes PM2.5 as tiny droplets in the air that can be a mixture of metals, organic
00:24compounds, and hundreds of different chemicals.
00:27They form as a result of pollution emitted by vehicles, power plants, fires, and smokestacks, and people inhale unhealthy levels
00:35of them every year.
00:36After looking at a sample of 33,000 people with lung cancer, researchers were able to confirm the existence of
00:43a second pathway that causes cancer, widespread lung inflammation, resulting from air pollution.
00:49Cancer researcher Charles Swanton said cells with cancer-causing mutations accumulate naturally as we age, but they're normally inactive.
00:58We've demonstrated that air pollution wakes these cells up in the lungs, encouraging them to grow and potentially form tumors.
01:06After three years of exposure to high levels of PM2.5 air pollution, the risk of developing lung cancer increased
01:13from 40% to 73%.
01:15The European Environment Agency estimated last year that more than 10% of cancers on the continent are caused by
01:23exposure to pollution.
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