"80% of human cancers are linked to environmental factors. Since modern people spend over 80% of their time working and living indoors or in vehicles, indoor environments have become the primary environmental factor affecting human health." This viewpoint was presented by experts at a recent symposium on indoor environmental pollution and reducing lung cancer health risks, held during "World Indoor Hygiene Day."
Song Guangsheng, Director of the China Indoor Environment Monitoring Committee, analyzed the indoor environmental factors contributing to lung cancer in China, primarily: smoking; exposure to radon and its decay products; and kitchen fumes.
Smoking is the primary cause of indoor environmental pollution linked to lung cancer, harming not only smokers themselves but also others through secondhand smoke. A Shanghai study indicates that 70% of male lung cancer deaths are smoking-related.
Radon and its decay products rank among the primary hazards causing human lung cancer. Lung cancers attributable to exposure from radon and its decay products account for 8% to 20% of all lung cancer cases. Incomplete statistics indicate that radon-induced lung cancer affects over 50,000 individuals annually in China.
Benzopyrene, a carcinogen present in kitchen fumes, can induce lung tissue cancer when inhaled over extended periods.A Shanghai study found that among non-smoking female lung cancer risk factors, over 60% of women had long-term exposure to kitchen fumes, and 32% preferred high-temperature oil frying when cooking.
In-car environmental pollution also warrants attention. The Shanghai study revealed that among lung cancer patients under 40, 33.3% had 10 or more years of driving experience;Among 343 patients under 50, 98 drivers accounted for 28.6%.
Experts recommend: The public should quit smoking; choose eco-friendly interior decoration materials; strengthen prevention and proper ventilation of kitchen fume pollution; enhance monitoring and purification of indoor and vehicle environmental pollution.