Another ever-increasing environmental factor that can significantly increase your risk of developing lung cancer is air pollution. Yes, the air we breathe in many places is so polluted that it can give you cancer. This is especially true for:
These threats were confirmed as important risk factors by the Word Health Organization in 2013. The major sources of air pollution mentioned in the report by the WHO are transportation, industrial and agricultural emissions, stationary power generation, and residential heating and cooking.
Radon is a type of invisible and otherwise undetectable gas often found in soil, and it has been found that people who work in underground facilities and those who have basements are most often exposed to this silent killer. The problem with these underground spaces is that the often don’t have proper ventilation, and radon accumulates in these closed spaces, often reaching critical concentrations.
When you enter a room with a high concentration of radon, it exposes your lung cells to radioactive compounds that may lead to DNA damage, which, in turn, can trigger the development of lung cancer. Radon is considered the second most common environmental cause of lung cancer after smoking.
Other Risk Factors and What To Do
Environmental causes are not the only risk factors of lung cancer, and things like genetic predisposition and radiation exposure can also increase the likelihood of getting this disease. After reading this article, if you think that you might be at a high risk of developing lung cancer, the best thing you can do is to undergo regular preventative screenings, as proven by several large-scale trials. This can help doctors find any concerning findings at an early stage of their development when it can still be completely treated.