The Correlation Between Cancer & Air Pollution in PA – Are You at Risk ? By GASP 4 / 19 / 2024
It ’ s been said a hundred different ways over the years , but the old cliche still rings true : An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure . That ’ s never more true than in matters of health – and is particularly relevant when you ’ re talking about cancer .
By now , we should all know the importance of not only prevention but early detection of cancer . You might not know it but in Pennsylvania , the “ understand prevention and early detection ” reminder is especially important : The Department of Health lamented in its “ The Burden of Cancer in Pennsylvania ” report that the disease remained the second‐leading cause of death here .
The risk is real .
Consider this : According to the state Department of Health , in 2020 ( the newest statistics available ), there were 72,400 new cancer diagnoses and nearly 28,000 deaths ‐ with Pennsylvanians facing a one in two risk of developing cancer in their lifetime . Residents of the Keystone State also have a one in 14 chance of developing lung cancer , and a one in 24 chance of dying from the illness .
We know : Those are really scary numbers .
“ But we ’ re not sharing to scare people ,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell said . “ Understanding environmental risks that could impact your health is the first step to protecting yourself from them .”
Because May is Clean Air Month , we wanted to drill down a bit on two air pollution cancer culprits that all too often fly under the radar and how to protect yourself from exposure to them : Asbestos and radon .
Understanding Asbestos
Asbestos is the name of a collection of silicate minerals used in many products throughout the 20th Century because of its strength and resistance to heat ‐ we ’ re talking everything from cement to shingles .