Diesel Exhaust Increases Lung Cancer Risk

A two-decade long study conducted by National Cancer Institute in the United States has found that diesel exhaust increases the risk of lung cancer.

The researchers tracked more than 12,000 miners working in mines such as potash and lime where diesel powered equipments are widely used. In the report, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the researchers wrote that those who were the most exposed to harmful fumes were three times more likely to die due to lung cancer.

While the miners breathed in air containing diesel fumes that was more polluted than in a normal environment, the researchers found that the risk of lung cancer was more than 50 percent among those who were the least exposed to the harmful fumes.

"Our findings are important not only for miners but also for the 1.4 million American workers and the 3 million European workers exposed to diesel exhaust, and for urban populations worldwide", lead researcher Debra Silverman said.



Source: Medindia