China Daily reports that there may be nearly one million lung cancer patients per year, with nearly 700,000 deaths per year by 2020. These are the highest prevalence and death rates in the world! This is a growing problem and has seen an increase in risk factors like environmental pollution, smoking, and an aging population. With a reported (~)75% of Chinese men now smoking, more people are at risk and big tobacco is in perpetual profit. Shanghai has the highest mortality rate and Tibet has the lowest.
Most smokers reside in rural areas of china - which makes sense since most urban settings are plagued by concentrations of business' emissions and likely deter some folks. Operation of coal-fired power plants, mining and smelting of metals, recycling, and agricultural use of fertilizers can lead to additional radioactivity release. Outdoor air pollution is just the beginning if one is to consider other sources of risk. Indoor pollution through coal and biomass fuel cooking is of general concern as it is the biggest source in an average household. Terrestrial naturally occurring radioactivity comes from earth's crust and mantle where decay series are comprised of chains of unstable nuclides.
More men than women smoke in China, and cancer rates are much higher in this regard. Unexpectedly so, in fact, and at a staggering 3%, there are noticeable differences in life expectancy. The latent effects of smoking reveal how truly terrible the blight of cancer is. The impact which alpha-emitting radionuclides have on cells and tissue is hard to measure or predict over long spans of time, especially in active smokers.
To read about where risk was was a decade ago, click here, a meta-analysis for China.
To read about where lung cancer risk was as of 2014, click here, an epidemiological research publication.
References
Lung cancer patients to number 800,000 per year by 2020
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2015-12/01/content_22593831.htm
Cancer Warning Issued as 75% of Chinese Men Now Smoke
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/850644
More than 7500 cancer deaths per day estimated
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160126162209.htm
Naturally-Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM)
http://world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/radiation-and-health/naturally-occurring-radioactive-materials-norm.aspx
700,000 lung cancer-related deaths in China may seem extremely large, but proportionally to the U.S., it's almost the same. Last year, 159,000 lung cancer deaths were accounted for in the U.S. Assuming a population of 300 million, that's roughly 0.05% of the population. Assuming China's population is about 1 billion, lung cancer deaths occurred in ~0.07% of the population. Still a ridiculously scary amount, but it seems we have the same problem as China does.
ReplyDeleteThat's not necessarily true. A 0.02% increase might not seem like a lot but when considering the sheer size of a population like China's, it's the difference between 700,000 deaths and 500,000 deaths. That's 200,000 people that would not get cancer.
DeleteChina is the largest coal consumer in the world, most of their electricity comes from it. They've also got some of the smoggiest urban centers, like Beijing. The amount of stuff floating in the air there must be terrible.
ReplyDeleteIs the ~75% statistic for smokers more than the average for other countries? Sounds really high. For sure less than 20% of people in my own circles smoke.
Some research on the CDC website brings up an average for the amount of adult smokers to be 17.8% in 2013 and 16.8% in 2014, an all time low. The US was at ~42% of adults smoking in 1965.
DeletePoor, disregarded or nonexistent environmental legislation to poison you outdoors in the cities, your friendly cigarette to poison you anywhere else, China is looking like its setting itself up for a big problem.
^Florian, 100% of people I know smoke. I had no idea 75% of the male population in China were smokers. They should implement some type of TobaccoFree program like the one implemented in USA, I mean unless they're happy with their mortality rates, then never mind.
ReplyDeleteGreat post about the main causes of lung cancer in China. How would Radon radiation exposure coupled with long term smoking affect the risk of contracting lung cancer?
ReplyDeleteGreat post about the main causes of lung cancer in China. How would Radon radiation exposure coupled with long term smoking affect the risk of contracting lung cancer?
ReplyDelete