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More Than A Third Of All Global Cancer Cases Are Preventable Through Lifestyle Changes, WHO Says 

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According to a new study and analysis from the World Health Organization (WHO), more than a third of all cancer cases globally are preventable. There are several ways in which we can reduce the odds of many different kinds of cancers developing, and a lot of it has to do with our overall lifestyle habits. 

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The organization wrote that lung, stomach, and cervical cancers make up nearly half of those cases, meaning that millions of deadly cancers every year could be prevented through medical intervention, behavior changes, reducing occupational risks, and/or combatting environmental pollutants, according to ScienceAlert. 

The study itself was published in Nature Medicine.

“Addressing these preventable causes represents one of the most powerful opportunities to reduce the global cancer burden,” says Isabelle Soerjomataram, medical epidemiologist at WHO and senior author of the analysis.

The specific analysis found that in 2022 there were about 19 million new cases of cancer, and about 38% of those diagnoses were related to 30 changeable risk factors. 

It was reported that these risk factors include “tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, high body mass index, insufficient physical activity, smokeless tobacco (like chewing tobacco), a traditional stimulant known as areca nut, suboptimal breastfeeding, air pollution, ultraviolet radiation, infectious agents, and over a dozen occupational exposures.”

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Smoking tobacco was the number one preventable factor associated with cancer, and was linked to 15% of all cancer cases in 2022. 

For men specifically this risk was particularly high, and smoking contributed to 23% of all new cancer cases globally in men that year. 

Air pollution also plays a major role in cancer cases, and varies by region. In East Asia, it was reported that around 15% of all lung cancer cases in women were due to air pollution. In Northern Africa and Western Asia, about 20% of all lung cancer cases in men were also due to air pollution. 

Drinking alcohol was the second changeable lifestyle factor that was linked to 3.2% (around 700,000) of all new cancer cases. 

Certain infections within the body were also linked to about 10% of new cancer cases. In women, the largest share of preventable cancers were due to high-risk human papillomavirus, or HPV, which has been known to potentially lead to cervical cancer. 

“By examining patterns across countries and population groups, we can provide governments and individuals with more specific information to help prevent many cancer cases before they start,” says André Ilbawi, WHO Team Lead for Cancer Control and co-author of the analysis.

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Scientists Call For New Global Regime Regarding Air Pollution From Space Launches 

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Scientists are calling for a new global regime to address air pollution specifically caused by the space industry and space launches. 

In 2020, Professor Eloise Marais assembled a team at the University College London (UCL) that began tracking space activities in 2020. According to their most recent figures, there were 259 rocket launches in 2024 and 223 launches in 2023. Those launches burned more than 153,000 tons of fuel.

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“More pollutants are being released into the atmosphere from rockets and satellites than ever before,” Marais stated. 

“We’re in uncharted territory, as humans have never added this much pollution to the upper layers of the atmosphere. If left unregulated, it may have serious impacts on Earth’s atmosphere.”

More specifically, the team found that mega-constellation communication satellites such as Starlink, OneWeb, and Thousand Sails, have “led to a threefold increase in emissions of climate-altering soot and carbon dioxide,” the Guardian reported.

While the amount of CO2 and soot from spacecraft is less than other industries, researchers are warning that particles stay in the upper atmosphere much longer than Earth-bound sources. Researchers pointed out that the pollution from space launches result in a climate warning impact that is 500 times greater than the amount of soot from aviation and ground level sources. 

“The amount of propellant used to launch mega-constellations has surpassed the amount of propellant used to launch all other missions combined,” Marais said. 

“The mix of pollutants produced is likely going to change in the future with the advent of Amazon Kuiper mega-constellations. They plan to use the European Space Agency’s rocket that is propelled by solid rocket fuel and produces ozone-damaging chlorine compounds.” 

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Dr Connor Barker from UCL stated that “many more mega-constellations are planned for launch in the next few decades, which will have significant impacts for our climate, and undo progress made by the Montreal protocol to repair the ozone layer.”

The amount of objects launched into space has also increased drastically within the last few years as well. In the 1960s and 2016, 100 to 200 objects a year were launched into space, and now thousands are launched annually and they have limited lifetimes. 

“Current international law is very much related to the principles of the high seas,” said Prof Stuart Martin, the chair of trustees at the UK National Space Centre. 

“The country that launched an object, owns it, and only the laws of that country apply to the object in space. This is one of the reasons why things like cleaning up are so difficult.”

Many mega-constellation satellites are re-entering the atmosphere as well. When this occurs, they vaporize into tiny, and sometimes, chemically reactive metal particles. 

The team from UCL also tracked 2,539 objects burned up when the re-entered the atmosphere in 2024, and 2,016 objects in 2023. This led to 13,500 tons of material from satellites and discarded rocket parts vaporizing in our atmosphere.

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Half Of Americans Live In Areas With Unsafe Levels Of Air Pollutants

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Nearly half of Americans are breathing in dangerous levels of air pollutants, according to a new report from the American Lung Association (ALA). The data shows a rise when compared to last year, and it’s likely to keep increasing due to the Earth’s climate crisis and the Trump administration’s rollbacks on environmental protections. 

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About 156 million people in America live in neighborhoods with unhealthy levels of soot or smog. This marks a 16% rise compared to the previous year and the highest number in a decade, according to the ALA’s annual state of the air report. 

Air pollutants can cause an increased risk of serious medical conditions such as asthma attacks, heart attacks, strokes, preterm births, impaired cognitive function, and even premature death. Particle pollution specifically can increase the risk of lung cancer. 

Recent heat waves and wildfires have made air pollution even worse. Global warming has caused extreme weather events to become more intense and common. 

The ALA releases reports annually so people remain aware of the risks that they may be facing. They grade exposure to unhealthy levels of smog and year-round and short-term increases in soot over a three year period. 

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In their most recent report, the ALA found that almost 43 million people were living in areas where all three measurements were reaching increased levels. Demographically speaking, a person of color is more than twice as likely to live in a neighborhood with unhealthy air pollution levels. The Latino community is three times more likely. 

The climate crisis is one of the biggest drivers of increasing air pollution, specifically the ozone levels for many parts of the nation. Warmer climates increase the risk of ozone forming. 

“Families across the US are dealing with the health impacts of air pollution every day, and extreme heat and wildfires are making it worse. Air pollution is causing kids to have asthma attacks, making people who work outdoors sick, and leading to low birth weight in babies,” said Harold Wimmer, the president and CEO of the American Lung Association.

“Efforts to slash staff, funding and programs at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are leaving families even more vulnerable to harmful air pollution,” Wimmer said.

The Trump administration has made many changes to the environmental protections in the US. The administration has already ordered mass layoffs and funding freezes for the EPA, and has pulled back on emphasizing climate change as a serious issue impacting millions of Americans’ health.

air pollution

Study Finds Air Pollution Can Decrease Chances Of Live Birth After IVF

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According to a new study, exposure to air pollution can significantly decrease the likelihood of live birth after IVF treatment. The study’s research has been ongoing to observe the negative health impacts of toxic air on fertility. 

Exposure to pollutants in the air has been previously linked to increased miscarriage rates, preterm births, and the presence of microscopic soot particles in the bloodstream, ovaries, and the placenta, according to reports from The Guardian.

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“We observed that the odds of having a baby after a frozen embryo transfer were more than a third lower for women who were exposed to the highest levels of particulate matter air pollution prior to egg collection, compared with those exposed to the lowest levels,” said Dr Sebastian Leathersich, a fertility specialist and gynecologist from Perth. 

Dr. Leathersich is also set to present the study findings on Monday at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology annual meeting in Amsterdam.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that air pollution is currently one of the leading threats to human health in general, and has caused 6.7 million deaths in 2019. 

“Pollution is harmful to almost all aspects of human health and it’s no surprise to me that reproductive health is also affected,” Leathersich said. 

“I’m hopeful that these findings will help to highlight the urgency of the situation – that climate change poses a serious and immediate threat to human reproductive health, even at so-called safe levels.”

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“These findings [also] suggest that pollution negatively affects the quality of the eggs, not just the early stages of pregnancy, which is a distinction that has not been previously reported,” Leathersich said.

Professor Jonathan Grigg led a group at Queen Mary University of London which uncovered evidence that air pollution particles are found in the placenta.

“This study is biologically plausible since it has recently been discovered that inhaled fossil-fuel particles move out of the lung and lodge in organs around the body. Reproductive health can now be added to expanding list of the adverse effects of fossil fuel-derived particulate matter, and should prompt policymakers to continue to reduce traffic emissions.”

“In the face of a global fertility crisis, a clear picture of the link between environmental factors such as air pollution and fertility health or treatment outcomes could play an important part in tackling falling fertility rates,” said Professor Geeta Nargund, a senior NHS consultant and medical director of abc IVF and Create Fertility.

She also said that “further work would be crucial to better understand the full impact of air pollution, which disproportionately affects those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.”

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How Fragrance And Scents In The Home Can Impact Your Overall Air Quality 

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We all can relate to the desire of making our space smell good. There’s a multitude of fragrance options currently on the market that can make any home smell good and fresh. However, it’s important to understand the potential dramatic impact on our home’s air quality that these scent options can have.

According to Svetlana Stevanovic’s recent research and reporting for The Conversation, people spend, on average, 85-90% of their time indoors, and inhale around 20,000 liters of air daily. Air pollutants that exist within our homes can arguably become much more harmful than the ones existing outdoors due to how much more time we spend in our houses. 

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These stagnant indoor air pollutants from seemingly harmless fragrance options can have a major impact on our health and wellbeing, and can lead to issues such as eye irritation, respiratory issues, headaches, and more. 

The US Environmental Protection Agency has also reported that levels of indoor air pollutants can get up to three times higher than outdoor pollutants. 

Home scents are made to fill a space with a particular smell that will make our air smell nice, but it also can mean that we’re intentionally releasing a mixture of chemicals in a closed indoor environment, which can lower the overall air quality in a given space. 

According to Stevanovic, air fresheners alon emit more than 100 different chemicals, some of the most harmful being classified as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). 

“These VOCs will react with ozone and other indoor oxidants to generate a range of oxidation products, which are potentially toxic molecules. The level of exposure and concentration determines the potential toxicity,” Stevanovic wrote. 

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The type of product and its composition determines the type and amount of pollutants being emitted into the air in your home. All air fresheners produce a high level of VOCs, and legally speaking, air freshener companies don’t have to disclose the chemical composition of their products.

There can be tens or hundreds of chemicals in your air freshener that you wouldn’t even know about because they’re not listed on the product itself. 

“In a study across the United States, Australia, Sweden and the United Kingdom, 32.2% of people were reported to have a sensitivity to fragrance. In those who are sensitive, fragrances are a risk factor for asthma and headaches.”

The best advice when it comes to avoiding an increased level of pollutants in the home is to use fragrances in moderation. When it comes to candles, using soy, beeswax, and any candle that’s labeled as “non-paraffin” and maintaining proper ventilation in the home throughout the day is generally considered to be safe. 

Removing chemical air fragrances, fresheners, and scented candles will have a lasting overall impact on the quality of air in your home. Overall, maintain a level of moderation when it comes to adding fragrance to your home, and consider using air purifiers in combination with ventilation to keep airflow consistent in your home. 

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Severe Cases Of Covid-19 Linked To Long-Term Air Pollution Exposure

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According to a study conducted in 2020 using healthcare data from 4,443 fatal cases of Covid-19, long-term exposure to high levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) correlated to an increased risk of severe/potentially fatal cases of Covid-19.

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Air Pollution

COVID-19 Pandemic Indirectly Leading To A Reduction In Air Pollution

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The coronavirus pandemic has been causing a lot of industries to completely shut down, which is indirectly benefiting the environment. A lack of industrial activity is temporarily causing air pollution levels to decrease, according to the European Space Agency which released satellite images showing the fall in global nitrogen dioxide levels. 

The sudden shift in atmospheric levels is being referred to as the “largest scale experiment ever” in terms of industrial emission rates in the atmosphere when certain businesses are shut down for long periods of time globally. According to the European Space Agencies (ESA) satellite images, over the past two months, levels of nitrogen dioxide over the planet’s most metropolitan and industrialized areas in Asia and Europe were marked much lower when compared to last year’s data. 

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This is massively significant, as a decrease in these levels is relatively uncalled for, especially considering how fast and advanced the world runs when it’s not in the middle of a pandemic. nitrogen dioxide in general is produced from car engines, power plants, and basically any industrial business that’s known for its gas emissions. nitrogen dioxide is also known to speed up the development of respiratory illnesses.

“We are now, inadvertently, conducting the largest-scale experiment ever seen. Are we looking at what we might see in the future if we can move to a low-carbon economy? Not to denigrate the loss of life, but this might give us some hope from something terrible. To see what can be achieved. A reduction in air pollution could also bring some health benefits, though it’s unlikely to offset loss of life from the disease [coronavirus],” said Paul Monks, professor of air pollution at the University of Leicester.

While the health benefits of this reduction in air pollution may not offset the number of deaths as a result of COVID-19, it can help reduce the overall spread of the virus, as higher levels of pollution in the air causes those with pre-existing health conditions to have an even more compromised immune system. Additionally, individuals with respiratory illnesses, such as asthma, living in these areas that are typically concentrated in nitrogen dioxide will benefit from the cleaner air in the long run. 

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The World Health Organization (WHO) describes nitrogen dioxide as “a toxic gas which causes significant inflammation of the airways,” which is why it tends to intensify preexisting conditions, especially those of a respiratory nature. The biggest drop in pollution levels that also works to support the connection between the coronavirus and the improvement in air quality, comes from Wuhan, China, where the virus initially spread. The city itself has 11 million citizens and is one of the largest transportation hubs in the world, it also has hundreds of thousands of industrial factories throughout it. Now, according to NASA nitrogen dioxide levels have decreased up to 30% when compared to last year!

Other areas of Europe and Asia that support the “largest experiment in history” include South Korea, which is typically dependent on a multitude of power plants and industrial facilities in China. Milan, Italy, one of the most COVID-19 affected countries, has seen a 40% drop in nitrogen dioxide emissions. Many are crediting this to Italy’s current lockdown policy that the country is still enduring.  

In the United Kingdom, road traffic alone accounts for about 80% of all gas emissions, now that the UK has announced their own plans to lockdown, it’s predicted that they’ll see a similar drop as well. While coronavirus may be disrupting a lot of aspects of life right now, at least one small positive is coming out of this entire ordeal, and the planet is healing more and more everyday.

Air Pollution Towers

How Nature Can Help Reduce Air Pollution

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Climate change is a permanent epidemic that the Earth has been enduring for decades. Now, in 2019, it’s the worst it’s ever been, so much so that a lot of the damage is irreversible. Government bodies worldwide have made monetary commitments, policies for greener cities, and have invested in technology and science to help save the huge amount of healthy Earth that has been lost. However, studies show that the best way to regain the natural environment that has been lost, is to use nature itself, as opposed to complex technology. This is especially true for helping areas of the world suffering greatly from air pollution and industrial powers expelling greenhouse gases and other harmful substances into the atmosphere. 

A study published by Physics.org revealed that planting trees and other plants near areas of heavy air pollution can help reduce that pollution by up to 27%! Plants would also be a much cheaper alternative to enforcing the use of green technology to combat negative air emissions. The research conducted measured areas of land near power plants, industrial factory sites, roadways, gas and oil drilling sites, etc. and found that in 75% of the land data collected, growing new plant life near these sites would be the cheapest option to reducing air pollution.

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“The fact is that traditionally, especially as engineers, we don’t think about nature; we just focus on putting technology into everything, and so, one key finding is that we need to start looking at nature and learning from it and respecting it. There are win-win opportunities if we do—opportunities that are potentially cheaper and better environmentally,” said Bhavik Bakshi, lead author of the study and professor of chemical and bio-molecular engineering at The Ohio State University.

The study was extensive; researchers took air pollution data from different counties in 48 out of the 50 states in America. The research compared and contrasted the level of air pollution with the amount of vegetation that was in those areas to begin with. Then, they calculated how much it would cost to add additional trees and plants to those areas, based off different state-wide costs and regulations. They then took the data of the current state of each counties pollution/vegetation levels and calculated the capacity to which the vegetation alleviated and reduced pollution without any additional plants/trees. According to the study, researchers focused on major air pollutants found all over the world; sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and any other particulate matter that contributes to smog such as dust or soot.

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Through their calculations, it was found that restoring vegetation to its full potential in each county (based on their specific environmental conditions), could reduce air pollution up to 27%. It’s important to emphasize that restoration would be different for every county. For example, the amount of vegetation restoration that would be needed in a vast farming landscape in Mississippi would be much less than that of a desert environment in California. However, even though the types of landscapes are vastly different all over the world, the research showed that air pollution could be lowered in urban settings just as much as more rural settings as long as the ratio of vegetation is calculated and correctly executed. This conclusion is great news in regard to our planets overall health and restoration. Additionally, it’s important for our health as human beings, and any other living thing on Earth. Poor air quality can lead to diseases such as lung cancer, heart disease, asthma, throat cancer, etc. and research shows that areas of the world with heavily polluted air tend to also have higher rates of these diseases for the individuals living there. 

“The thing that we are interested in is basically making sure that engineering contributes positively to sustainable development, and one big reason why engineering has not done that is because engineering has kept nature outside of its system boundary,” Bakshi said.

It’s time that we help fight nature with nature. Human beings made the creations that are killing the planet, and while we’ve thought that more man-made devices can help reverse that damage, maybe it’s time we take a page out of Mother Nature’s book and help let her do the restorative work we all so desperately need.