Air pollution , caused by the burning of fossil fuels or wildfires , is estimated to have caused hundreds of thousands of lung cancer deaths annually worldwide . ( Turner , 2020). The Global Burden of Disease study attributes 15 % of all lung cancer deaths to PM2.5 from outdoor air pollution ( Global Burden of Disease , 2016 ) ( Global Burden of Disease , 2017 ) The International Agency for Research on Cancer ( IARC ) classified outdoor air pollution and particulate matter less than 2.5 micrograms / meter3 ( PM2.5 ) as carcinogenic to humans ( Loomis , 2013 ) Air pollution can cause lung cancer even in people who have never smoked ( Swanton , 2022 ) ( Turner , 2020). People with lung cancer who are exposed to air pollution have an increased mortality from lung cancer . ( Hamra , 2014 ) ( Eckel , 2016 ) ( Ou , 2020 ) Exposure to air pollution has been associated with the promotion of lung cancer by acting on cells in healthy lung tissue that harbour pre-existing oncogenic mutations by activating macrophages to release IL- 1beta ( Swanton , 2022 ), particularly in those living in polluted neighborhoods ( Erhunmwunsee , 2021)
Extreme weather events have a major impact on access to cancer care Disruptions due to hurricanes resulted in worse outcomes in patients with Stage 3 NSCLC undergoing definitive radiotherapy ( Nogueira , 2019 ) Treatment delays or interruptions for breast , colorectal , head and neck cancers , and gynecological cancers can result in worse survival outcomes ( Man , 2018 ) Infrastructure damage due to flooding can result in loss of power , electricity , water , radiotherapy equipment , clinical facilities , medical records and access to staff , as evidenced by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 . ( Man , 2018 )