About 10% of cancer cases in Europe are linked to various forms of pollution, the EEA (European Environment Agency) warned this Monday (27), adding that most cases are preventable.

Air pollution is one of the main villains responsible for the development of cancer — Photo: Pixabay/ND

“Exposure to air pollution, secondhand smoke, ultraviolet rays, asbestos, chemicals and other pollutants causes more than 10% of cancer cases in Europe,” the European agency said in a statement.

According to the organization, this number could drop dramatically if existing policies are strictly followed, especially in the fight against pollution.

“All carcinogenic risks, environmental and occupational, can be reduced,” said Gerardo Sanchez, an EEA expert, ahead of the publication of the report, the agency’s first report on the relationship between cancer and the environment.

“Cases of cancer caused by the environment and radiation or chemical carcinogens can be reduced to almost a minimum level,” he assured the press.

According to the agency, air pollution is responsible for 1% of cases and about 2% of deaths, rising to 9% in cases of lung cancer.

Recent studies have also found “a correlation between long-term exposure to particulate matter, a major air pollutant, and leukemia among adults and children,” the organization added.

Radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas that can be inhaled in poorly ventilated homes, is thought to be responsible for 2% of cancer cases on the continent.

According to a European agency, ultraviolet rays, mostly from the sun but also from artificial sources, are responsible for about 4% of all cancers, in particular melanoma, a serious form of skin cancer that has grown strongly in Europe in recent years. .

Some chemicals used in the workplace and released into the environment are also carcinogenic.

Lead, arsenic, chromium, pesticides, bisphenol A and perfluoroalkylated and polyfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS) are among the most dangerous to European health, as is asbestos, which has been banned in the EU since 2005 and is still present in some buildings.

In the EU every year 2.7 million people develop cancer and 1.3 million die from it.

The continent, home to just 10% of the world’s population, is home to 23% of new cases and 20% of deaths.