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Last updated
July 26, 2025

Lung cancer

Air pollution and lung cancer research reveals shocking statistics about pollution-driven cancer cases, particularly affecting non-smokers through adenocarcinoma development. In 2022, more than 1,100 people in the UK developed adenocarcinoma, the most prevalent lung cancer subtype, directly due to air pollution, with the UK's rates higher than the US and Canada and four times higher than Finland. Globally, 15.1% of lung cancer deaths worldwide result from PM2.5 exposure, with an estimated 200,000 adenocarcinoma cases linked to air pollution in 2022 alone. The disease is especially concerning as 70% of cases occur in never-smokers, highlighting how environmental pollution has become a primary lung cancer driver. Discover the alarming evidence linking air quality to lung cancer and why even non-smokers face significant risks.
  • More than 1,100 people in the UK developed adenocarcinoma, the most prevalent lung cancer subtype, due to air pollution in 2022.(Gregory, 2025)
  • 6.7 million deaths globally in 2019 due to air pollution - 15.1% of lung cancer deaths worldwide from PM2.5 (Varanasi, 2024)
  • The UK’s adenocarcinoma rates from air pollution were higher than the US and Canada and four times higher than Finland.(Gregory, 2025)
  • Adenocarcinoma now accounts for 45.6% of lung cancer cases in men and 59.7% in women worldwide.(Gregory, 2025)
  • The disease is especially prevalent among never-smokers, with 70% of cases occurring in this group.(Gregory, 2025)
  • An estimated 200,000 adenocarcinoma cases globally were linked to air pollution in 2022.(Gregory, 2025)
  • New Sherlock-lung study to look at genome sequencing of “special exposure” group and general population control to trace lung cancer etiology (NIH, 2025)

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