Air pollution has often been linked to lung cancer and other pulmonary diseases, but a new study shows it may be the cause of other cancer types plaguing over 70,000 Americans.
A new study by researchers from Mass General Brigham in Boston, Massachusetts, found that particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns (PM2.5) may also cause head and neck cancers (HNC).
PM2.5 are particles that are 2.5 microns or less in diameter and are likely to enter and deposit in the deeper parts of the lung which may cause tissue or lung damage, the California Air Resources Board explained.
To find the link between PM2.5 and HNC, researchers used data from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results national cancer database between 2002 and 2012. Analyzing the HNC cases in 11 states in relation to pollution exposure, they found that there was a "significant association" between upper aerodigestive tract cancers and air pollution.
"The size of the particles is relevant because the classic model for studying the upper airways is that the nose and throat act as filters before it gets into the lungs," John Cramer, associate professor of otolaryngology and research lead, told the Boston Herald.
"Larger particles are being filtered out, but we are conceptualizing that different types of pollution hit different parts of the airways."
Head and neck cancers account for about 4% of all cancers in the U.S., the National Cancer Institute noted.
Some of the HNC types include throat cancer, oral cavity cancer, nasal cavity and sinus cancer, and thyroid cancer.
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