Studies have shown an increased incidence and shorter survival rate of cancer affected by air pollution. The greenhouse gases emitted by the combustion of fossil fuels are contributing to climate change, climate change may worsen air quality by changing the ventilation, dilution, precipitation and other removal processes, and the amplification of atmospheric chemistry.
Besides outdoor air pollution, household air pollution is also a part of the linkage. There are still millions of people who are not able to cook with clean energy, which results in severe indoor air pollution as well as greenhouse gases, that is, the major factor affecting climate change. Indoor emissions from the household combustion of coal are a Group 1 carcinogen. The household combustion of biomass fuels and emissions from high-temperature frying have been concluded to be possibly carcinogenic to humans by the IARC.
It is estimated that 3.8 million premature deaths (8% from lung cancer) are attributable to household air pollution from cooking with kerosene or solid fuels each year. The Global Burden of Disease Study suggests that indoor air pollution is associated with the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The 2.6 billion people who have less access to cleaner fuels, mostly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), suffer an increasing cancer burden and are also exposed to a huge amount of air pollution. The vicious cycle of climate change, air pollution, and cancer will keep rolling and provide a devastating cancer burden without intervention.
With the accumulation of greenhouse gases, global warming, and changing meteorological factors, there is an increasing frequency of abnormally hot and cold temperatures, which are the direct expression of climate variability. Although it is not clear whether it is the increased temperature of warm months, carcinomatous meningitis was observed to have a higher incidence in these months. Evidence from more studies is warranted to confirm the causal association.
The direct effects of extreme temperatures like heat waves may worsen the conditions of cancer patients because of their impaired thermoregulation and immune function. Occupational heat exposure, exacerbated by climate change, is also associated with several cancers, including female breast cancer. The climate-change-induced ozone depletion led to increasing ultraviolet radiation (UV) exposure, which will lead to increased risks of melanoma and other skin cancers (e.g., squamous cell skin cancer). In consequence, melanoma survivors have an increased risk of developing second primary cancers, such as prostate cancer.
The changing temperature and precipitation will also lead to changes in natural disasters and food production, which may increase the risk of cancer indirectly. Long-term exposure to wildfires has been suggested to increase the incidence of lung cancer and brain tumors. Extreme weather and natural disasters caused by climate change may reduce people’s physical activity by limiting active venues and suitable temperatures. Less physical activity could increase the risks of colon, female breast, and uterine cancers. Furthermore, inactivity-induced excess body weight also increases the risk of cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, genital organs, and female breast.
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