Posted on 09/11/2022 9:40:04 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
Scientists said Saturday they had identified the mechanism through which air pollution triggers lung cancer in non-smokers, a discovery one expert hailed as "an important step for science—and for society".
The research illustrated the health risk posed by the tiny particles.
Air pollution has long been thought to be linked to a higher risk of lung cancer in people who have never smoked.
"But we didn't really know whether pollution was directly causing lung cancer—or how," Swanton told AFP.
Traditionally it has been thought that exposure to carcinogens, such as those in cigarette smoke or pollution, causes DNA mutations that then become cancer.
The research team found that exposure to tiny PM2.5 pollution particles—which are less than 2.5 microns across—led to an increased risk of mutations in the EGFR gene.
In laboratory studies on mice, the team showed that the particles caused changes in the EGFR gene as well as in the KRAS gene, both of which have been linked to lung cancer.
Finally, they analyzed nearly 250 samples of human lung tissue never exposed to carcinogens from smoking or heavy pollution.
Even though the lungs were healthy, they found DNA mutations in 18 percent of EGFR genes and 33 percent of KRAS genes.
"They're just sitting there," Swanton said, adding that the mutations seem to increase with age.
"On their own, they probably are insufficient to drive cancer," he said.
But when a cell is exposed to pollution it can trigger a "wound-healing response" that causes inflammation, Swanton said.
And if that cell "harbors a mutation, it will then form a cancer", he added.
"We've provided a biological mechanism behind what was previously an enigma," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
The air we breathe today is far cleaner than the 1950’s when cars belched smoke for exhaust and where cities were littered with industrial smokestacks that produce eye burning smog. Add that far fewer people now smoke cigarettes. But let’s the boogeyman air pollution so that we can crank up the environmentalists to a new level of hype.
Any chance a portion of these airborne particulates are barium and/or aluminum?
Asking for a friend...
Doesn’t answer jack.
Years ago there was a paper that discussed how radioactive particles in tobacco, inhaled during smoking, and lodged in the lungs is where cancers started. They suggested that potash, used as fertilizer, was the source of the radiation.
It disappeared.
But sometime later it was noted that by growing tobacco you could decontaminate irradiated soil because tobacco naturally absorbed it.
Scratch many Greens and you’ll find Reds.
Not so sure about that. I live in CA and our air quality in the fall for the last few years is that of a constant campfire. I’m in Lake Tahoe area today (long story) by a huge new uncontained wildfire and the air quality is the worst in North America today, and the second worst in the world after Turkey. We have a months long “smoke season” now—in the fall my eyes sting and my throat hurts.
We refer to this as California's Annual (Usually Human Assisted...)
All Cause Mortality contribution. (AKA CA Fire Season)
Reno usually looks something like this from my security camera
Can't see the city through this...:
(Camera installed at a friend's house up near Mt. Rose, looking down on Reno, NV.)
(AQI is back down under 100 at the moment. It remained over 300 between 5 and 10 pm.)
~Easy
Back in engineering school (1980) an old guy getting his PhD was living in our Freshman dorm room for the year - great guy. Looking back now it seems really odd, but no - he wasn’t a pervert!
He smoked a pipe and he dumped it out into the toilet in front of us. When it hit the water all of the particles spread out like they were magnetic and repelling each other.
“Yeah - it appears that there is an electrostatic charge on the particles. I wonder if it is that energy that is zapping your body when you inhale it and that causes cancer? Anyway kids - don’t smoke!”
Terrifying...
CO2 poisoning is so common now that the average human body is 17% carbon!
Standard 1” residential HVAC filters are complete junk. Any time you re-do an HVAC system, you should upgrade the filtration to something decent.
I just glanced at Consumer Reports, and they like Aprilaire. As it happens, I put in an Aprilaire when I replaced my upstairs system about a dozen years ago, and another on the downstairs system in 2020. I’m very happy with them. It’s not serious large building commercial level, but it’s close. I change them out annually, and they’re about $50 each.
If you want to go serious commercial level, what you want is a 4” pleated media setup using Merv 13 or 16 filters. And if you want true hospital grade, bring money and space, because you need room for a 4” pre filter and a 12’ HEPA filter. And most residential systems can’t handle the pressure drop.
On any of these, make sure the installer gets a big enough one so that the resistance to airflow is low enough that the system can handle it. Don’t skimp on surface area.
The human body is an even higher percentage of dihydrogen monoxide, and that stuff can kill you! Fortunately these folks are doing research into the problem:
SB 12” HEPA filter, not 12’, in case anyone is reading closely.
I’m not sure these scientists are being driven by environmental extremism. I agree it will be used by extremists however.
I’ve heard before about extremely small particles being the culprit. A significant source of these were said to be from ‘flickering candles’. They emit very tiny particles that can enter cells. While this isn’t a common problem today, or at least in developed countries, it was noted that historically everyone was at risk.
...how true this is I don’t know - just remember watching a show making the claim.
You nailed it.
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