October 17, 2013

expert reaction to the IARC classifying air pollution as carcinogenic

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organisation, announced that it had classified outdoor air pollution as carcinogenic to humans.

Professor David Phillips of King’s College London and member of the Working Group for this IARC evaluation said:

“There is clear evidence, stemming from human, experimental and mechanistic studies, that polluted outdoor air is harmful to human health and a major cause of cancer.  As the major sources are man-made, much can and should be done to protect the world’s population from exposure, particularly those in urban and industrialised environments. Reductions in emissions will have significant long-term benefits for disease prevention.”