Study Links PM Air Pollution to Increased Lung Cancer Mutations in Non-Smokers

Los Angeles, July 3 (Xinhua) — A new study published Wednesday (July 2) in the journal Nature reveals a strong connection between exposure to fine particulate air pollution (PM) and increased genetic mutations in lung tumors among people who have never smoked.

Led by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), the study represents the largest genomic analysis of lung cancer in non-smokers to date, offering new insight into how environmental pollution can trigger cancer development even in those who have never smoked.

Researchers from the National Cancer Institute under NIH and the University of California, San Diego examined lung tumors from 871 non-smoking patients across 28 global regions. The research was part of the Sherlock-Lung project, which aims to trace mutation patterns in lung cancer.

The findings indicate that exposure to air pollution—particularly from traffic and industrial sources—is linked to cancer-driving mutations. These include mutations in the TP53 gene and other mutation signatures typically associated with smoking-related cancers.

The study also found that air pollution is associated with shortened telomeres—the protective ends of chromosomes—which are linked to aging and reduced cellular replication, potentially accelerating cancer progression.

Understanding how air pollution promotes tumor mutations could help explain cancer risk among non-smokers and highlights the urgent need to strengthen environmental protections.

Lung cancer in non-smokers accounts for as much as 25% of all lung cancer cases worldwide.

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