Air pollution increases risk of brain cancer: Study

The air quality in South Asian cities is worsening by the day. During the month of October and November, both India’s Delhi and Pakistan’s Lahore topped as the most polluted cities in the world.

While the health consequences of breathing in dirty air is known, a latest study shows that micro particles in the polluted air leads to a high risk of brain cancer.

Researcher at the McGill University concluded that the tiny particles found during smoggy days can be absorbed by a person’s lungs and then travel through the blood vessels to other organs in the body, including the brain.

The scientists examined the health records of over 1.9 million people in Canada over 25 years. In 2016, they found out that a total of 1,400 people have developed malignant brain tumors.

“Environmental risks like air pollution are not large in magnitude – their importance comes because everyone in the population is exposed,” study leader Scott Weichenthal of McGill University told The Guardian.