Taiwan's air pollution more likely to cause lung cancer than smoking 1 pack per day

台灣因空氣污染罹患肺癌風險比每天吸1包菸的風險還要高

Females, non-smokers, and adults under 65 have higher incidence of lung cancer


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A study by National Taiwan University (NTU) has found that breathing air pollution carries a higher risk of lung cancer than smoking one pack of cigarettes per day.

The latest research by NTU's College of Public Health has discovered that an increase in the average concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution in residential areas over 30 years can elevate the risk of developing lung adenocarcinoma. This risk can even surpass that of individuals smoking over one pack of cigarettes per day, and the study confirms a significant association between air pollution and adenocarcinoma lung cancer (AdLC).

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Taiwan, with over 17,000 new cases and over 10,000 deaths annually, surpassing liver cancer as the new leading cancer. Factors contributing to lung cancer include smoking, family history, and air pollution.

The NTU study has demonstrated for the first time that exposure to PM2.5 pollution over 30 years increases the risk of AdLC by 1.044 times more than that of heavy smokers consuming over one pack per day. The research findings were published in the "Environmental Research" last month.

The first author of this study was Lin Wei-chi (林蔚琪), a doctoral student at NTU's College of Public Health. Professor Chan Chang-chuan (詹長權), an NTU public health professor, said that while there is a connection between PM2.5 pollution and AdLC, the duration of exposure required to increase the risk of carcinogenesis has not been previously studied.

The research team analyzed lung cancer registration data in Taiwan from 1997 to 2020 as the baseline and compared this to the air pollution conditions across various regions over 30 years. The researchers found that over 30 years, if the average PM2.5 concentration in the area of residence increases by ten micrograms, the risk of AdLC also increases.

Regardless of gender, age, smoking status, cancer stage, and EGFR mutation, the risk of AdLC increases relative to PM2.5 exposure. This was particularly evident in females, non-smokers, and adults under sixty-five, who had higher incidence rate ratios than their respective counterparts.

Chan was cited by UDN as saying, “Reducing air pollution is essential for lowering the risk of lung adenocarcinoma, and the sooner we act, the better.” The study found that air pollution is more severe in central and southern Taiwan than in the north, and urban areas are more polluted than rural areas.

The study's authors recommended the Environmental Protection Administration focus on areas with severe air pollution based on monitoring indicators and increase health education and promotion. They added that the Ministry of Health and Welfare should consider strengthening free lung cancer screening for people in these areas.

Chan recommended that people adopt protective measures such as wearing masks. He said the government should also improve public transportation, restrict coal-fired power plants, reduce industrial emissions of air pollutants, and establish an air pollution monitoring app to alert the public to pollution levels.

If pollution is severe, people should avoid going outdoors, advised Chan.