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Getty Images \/ Jon Hicks<\/p>\n <\/span> \nRegular exposure to air pollution may increase a person's risk of developing colorectal and prostate cancers, a new study finds.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nAir pollution is not a new concern. Approximately 36% of Americans live in places with failing grades for unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution.<\/span> Poor air quality has been largely linked to respiratory health, as well as an increase in cancer risk.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nThe new research, published earlier this month in Environmental Epidemiology<\/em>, found that repeated exposure to PM2.5 and NO2 air pollutants increased the risk of developing colorectal and prostate cancers.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nResearchers also discovered that even low levels of air pollution exposure can make people more likely to develop these cancers, along with breast and endometrial cancers.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cThe biggest finding is that air pollution can cause major types of cancers beyond just lung cancer,” said Yaguang Wei, research fellow in the Department of Environmental Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.\n<\/p>\n \nWei noted that this connection was found even in regions where air pollution levels are below the national standards and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.\n<\/p>\n \nResearchers looked at data from 2000 to 2016 of national Medicare beneficiaries 65 years or older. Participants were not diagnosed with cancer for at least the first 10 years of the study.\n<\/p>\n \nThey examined participants with breast, colorectal, endometrial, and prostate cancers, and analyzed cancer risk as it related to air pollutants.\n<\/p>\n \nResults demonstrated that chronic PM2.5 and NO2 exposures increased the risk of developing colorectal and prostate cancers; NO2 exposure was associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n Getty Images \/ Jon Hicks<\/p>\n <\/span> <\/span> <\/p>\n \nWhile pollution is known to be a contributing factor to lung cancer, the new study confirms that it can negatively impact other parts of your health, too.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nAccording to Thomas Dailey, MD, a pulmonary and critical care medicine with Kaiser Permanente in Northern California and Chair of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the inhalation of fine particle materials causes irritation\u2014this irritation expands to other areas of health aside from lung cancer.\n<\/p>\n \nStudies also show that breast, liver, and pancreas cancer can be caused by air pollution and poor air quality.<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cOne reason is the ultrafine particulate materials get into the bloodstream and aren\u2019t stopped just by the lungs\u2014it goes through many major organs,” Dailey said. “Aside from cancer, we also see increases in heart attacks and strokes in Emergency Departments on poor air quality days.”\n<\/p>\n Risk of Fatal Heart Attack May Double During Heat Waves and Days With Poor Air Quality<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span> <\/p>\n \nAccording to the State of the Air report from the American Lung Association, four of the top five most polluted cities are in California: Bakersfield, Visalia, Fresno-Madera-Hanford, and Los Angeles-Long Beach. Fairbanks, Alaska rounds out the top five.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cIt\u2019s usually concentrated in urban areas, especially major cities, and in industrial areas where factories and power plants are located, and along the highways,\u201d Wei said.\n<\/p>\n \nHe explained that regions with surrounding mountains\u2014like Central Valley in California\u2014may also see lower air quality due to pollution being trapped in certain areas. Regions with more wildfires are also prone to more pollution.\n<\/p>\n \nRecently, the wildfires in Canada have made the general public more aware of air quality concerns and the importance of checking the air quality in your area.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cThe recent exposure of smoke on the east coast from Canadian forest fires has created an awareness in the general population of the air quality index (AQI), which is reported daily on most weather apps or websites,\u201d said Louis Potters, MD, the chair of radiation medicine at Lenox Hill.\n<\/p>\n \nPotters explained that the AQI is composed of several factors, like particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide (both of which were included in the new research).\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cAwareness of the AQI helps to offer the opportunity to avoid outdoor exposure when the AQI exceeds dangerous levels," Potters said.\n<\/p>\n \nYou can check the air quality of your region by visiting the Air Now website.\n<\/p>\n <\/span> <\/p>\n \nThere are numerous ways to stay healthy and safe amidst poor air quality. Daily recommends the following:\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cWhile we all got used to wearing surgical masks with COVID, one needs to be aware that only the N95 mask is helpful in decreasing exposure to air pollutants," Potters said.\n<\/p>\n \nAdditionally, he emphasized that special attention is required when the AQI exceeds 200, but some individuals at risk for respiratory or cardiac issues, a level of greater than 100 may require avoidance of outdoor activities such as exercise or prolonged time out of doors.\n<\/p>\n \nPaying attention to the AQI allows people to better avoid acute illness, and, based on the new study, cancer risk.<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cBeing aware of the air quality index serves as an indicator when to be cautious out of doors to lower one\u2019s risk of respiratory and cardiac illness but also for lowering one\u2019s risk of cancer,\u201d Potters said.\n<\/p>\n Extreme Heat Can Be Deadly, Experts Urge These Tips for Avoiding Illness and Injury<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Getty Images \/ Jon Hicks New research found that continued exposure to certain air pollutants is linked to an increased risk of developing colorectal and prostate cancers. This connection was found even in regions where air pollution levels are below the national standards and WHO guidelines. Experts recommend people maintain awareness about the air quality […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17361,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1267,410],"tags":[1268,116],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17361"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17361"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17361\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17361"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The Correlation Between Pollution and Cancer <\/span> <\/h2>\n
Some Regions Have Higher Pollution Levels Than Others <\/span> <\/h2>\n
How to Protect Yourself From Air Pollution <\/span> <\/h2>\n
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