Smog causes lung cancer: lawmaker

The Shanghai government issues an orange alert on Dec 6 during one of the most serious smog days in the city. [Photo by Gao Erqiang / China Daily]

A senior lawmaker on Thursday warned of increasing mortality of lung cancer caused by air pollution.

Of all cancers, lung cancer mortality rate has increased the fastest in recent years, said lawmaker Yang Wei, director of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and member of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee.

Yang told a group discussion that recent studies show lung cancer is the top killer for males and the second largest killer for females, partially caused by accumulation of air pollutants.

"We always talked about smoking less to keep healthy, but one of the primary reason is the polluted air," he told lawmakers discussing a report on the enforcement of the Law on the Prevention and Control of Atmospheric Pollution, which was submitted to the ongoing bimonthly session of the top legislature.

Many parts of China are frequently smogbound during the coal-burning period each winter. The Beijing International Marathon was held on Oct. 19 in heavy smog, with PM 2.5 reading hitting 331, well past healthy levels.

Yang said north China's meteorological and atmospheric conditions help pollutants accumulate. There is too much ozone in the air, which easily forms particles if no wind occurs.