Toxic air to blame for lung cancer; no longer just a smoker's disease

Currently, lung cancer is responsible for five deaths per 1,000 in India and seven per 1,000 in Delhi

Smokers and non-smokers now represent an equal number of lung cancer patients, according to a study carried out by the Lung Care Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation focused on improving lung health in India.

An analysis of 150 patients at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH), New Delhi, found that close to 50 per cent of patients with lung cancer–the type of cancer responsible for the highest number of cancer deaths nationwide–had never smoked, and yet had developed the pulmonary disease.

Health professionals in India now believe there is strong evidence that points to the role of