According to the August 2016 issue of the Natural Medicine Journal, air pollution contributes to more than just lung cancer. A study by Dr. Walter Crinnion, a naturopathic doctor and editor of the environmental medicine section of the Alternative Medicine Review, noted the cancer mortality risks to 66,820 adult Hong Kong residents. Followed from 2001 to 2011, investigators tracked the cause of death for all participants aged 65 or older throughout the study period, specifically documenting deaths due to cancer.

In this study of urban residential areas, cancer mortality rose in relation to long-term exposure to increasing levels of fine, inhalable particulate matter with a diameter of generally less than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5). For every 10 micrometer increase of PM2.5, the risk of dying from breast cancer increased by 80 percent; female genital cancer by 73 percent; cancers in the upper digestive tract by 42 percent; and cancers in accessory digestive organs (liver, bile ducts, gall bladder and pancreas) by 35 percent. Overall, cancer mortality risk increased 22 percent for every 10-micrometer increase in exposure.

“In short, poor air quality has been clearly linked to all of the most common pressing chronic health problems in our modern society,” says Crinnion, who now recommends that his patients purchase a high-quality air purifier for their bedroom.

Urban air is highly polluted and has long been associated with cardiovascular and respiratory morbidity and mortality. Particulate matter from vehicular exhaust is consistently found to be more damaging to human health, with smaller particles causing the most damage. These smaller particles find their way into virtually all cells in the body, where they cause a great deal of oxidative damage.

There are urban areas in the U.S. that have been found to have particulate matter pollution levels that reach the average levels found in the study.

EnviroKlenz, located at 12557 New Brittany Blvd., Ste. B312, in Ft. Myers, carries the EnviroKlenz mobile air purification system, air filters and other environmentally friendly products. For more information, call 239-330-9650 or visit EnviroKlenz.com.