Outdoor air pollution causes an increased risk of bladder cancer and lung cancer, according to a recent release from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization.
“The IARC Monographs Programme, dubbed the encyclopedia of carcinogens, provides an authoritative source of scientific evidence on cancer-causing substances and exposures,” the release states. “In the past, the Programme evaluated many individual chemicals and specific mixtures that occur in outdoor air pollution. These included diesel engine exhaust, solvents, metals and dusts. But this is the first time that experts have classified outdoor air pollution as a cause of cancer.”
“Our task was to evaluate the air everyone breathes rather than focus on specific air pollutants,” said Dr. Dana Loomis, deputy head of the Monographs section. “The results from the reviewed studies point in the same direction: the risk of developing lung cancer is significantly increased in people exposed to air pollution.”
The study showed an increased risk of lung cancer with increased levels of exposure to particulate matter and air pollution. Although the composition of air pollution and levels of exposure can vary dramatically among locations, the conclusions apply to all regions of the world, the release states.
“Studies indicate that in recent years exposure levels have increased significantly in some parts of the world, particularly in rapidly industrializing countries with large populations,” the release states. “The most recent data indicate that in 2010, 223,000 deaths from lung cancer worldwide resulted from air pollution.”
Love chocolate? It may love you back
Do you sneak into your children’s trick-or-treat bags for that sweet, heavenly chocolate you so crave? Well, that is just wrong. But you can go out and buy your own. There are, after all, benefits to chocolate, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Chocolate may help protect your cardiovascular system because the cocoa bean is rich in a class of plant nutrients called flavonols.
Flavonols have other potential influences on vascular health, such as lowering blood pressure and improving blood flow to the brain and heart. The way chocolate is processed has an affect on the flavonol levels. But watch out for additional ingredients that can add lots of extra fat and calories.