It is widely known that smoking increases your risk of lung cancer. That is not the only risk factor, however. Air pollution plays a role as well.

 

A study by Oregon State University suggests reducing air-polluting polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) may lower levels of lung cancer deaths in countries with high socioeconomic ranks such as Canada, France, the US.

 

PAHs are a group of more than 100 chemicals, some of which are carcinogenic when inhaled or ingested. They most commonly come from vehicle exhaust and burning coal and wood.

 

While the link between smoking and lung cancer is well-established, OSU researchers did not find a correlation between cigarette smoking rates and lung cancer death rates in countries with high levels of income. Researchers attribute this conclusion to previous studies showing high-income smokers tend to light up less often.

 

Detectable lung cancer can take 20 years to develop, and the poorest countries in the study had an average age of death of 54. OSU researchers suggest heavy smokers in these countries can sometimes die before tumors attributable to lung cancer become apparent.