17 October 2013: The World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has announced that, following extensive evaluation of scientific literature, it has classified outdoor air pollution as carcinogenic to humans. The main sources of outdoor air pollution include transportation, stationary power generation, industrial and agricultural emissions, and residential heating and cooking.

According to the IARC, its evaluation is driven by findings from large epidemiologic studies that included data from Europe, North and South America, and Asia. IARC finds sufficient evidence that exposure to outdoor air pollution causes lung cancer, and there is a positive association with increased risk of bladder cancer.

IARC’s mission is to coordinate and conduct research on the causes of human cancer, the mechanisms of carcinogenesis, and to develop scientific strategies for cancer control. [UNRIC Press Release] [IARC Press Release]