India’s government recently confirmed what many public health experts have been watching with growing alarm: lung cancer is becoming increasingly common among women, especially those living in cities, and most of them have never smoked.
There are many cases that indian woman (who are non smoker ) are diagnosed with lung cancer. nearly half of the lung cancer patients he sees are young women. "Cooking on chullah is one of the major causes.”
MBH/AB
Indoor air pollutions from incense, mosquito coils, second-hand smoke also adds up to it
For decades, evidence has shown that exposure to passive smoking poses serious health risks, particularly for women and children, and can be comparable to the harms seen in active smokers. Additionally, increasing air pollution from industrialization, along with the use of charcoal or other biomass fuels for cooking, continues to be a major contributor to respiratory diseases among women.
This is deeply concerning. Not only cooking in chullah but also pollution is getting worse day-by-day.
People who are more exposed to the smoke of other person’s tobacco products are at higher risk. So obviously women’s chance increases.
Additionally, genetic alterations such as EGFR and HER2 mutations, an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, and exposure to toxic air are associated with lung cancer in non-smoking women.
In a country like India where air pollution is at peak. We can absolutely expect diseases like lung cancer, etc. Government should create strict plans to tackle this problem and everyone should start affording an air purifier at their home.
India is a hub for both indoor and outdoor pollution. It is important to control or prevent the causes at least that are in our own hands.
Passive smoking and poor environmental conditions are of the major contributor of poor lung health.
Pollution is the most common reason for this issue. Lack of awareness may also contribute to such an issue. Awareness must be spread through various means to curb this issue.
Poor ventilation in many houses and passive smoking are also contributing to this raising incidence of lung cancer.
This trend is indeed alarming and underscores that lung cancer is not only linked to smoking. In India, many women, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas, are exposed to indoor air pollution from traditional chullahs using wood, coal, or biomass fuels. Chronic exposure to smoke from cooking leads to long-term respiratory irritation, inflammation, and carcinogen buildup, significantly increasing lung cancer risk even among non-smokers. Urban women are also affected by ambient air pollution and second-hand smoke, further raising their vulnerability. This highlights the urgent need for clean cooking technologies, improved ventilation, public awareness, and early screening strategies to protect women’s respiratory health.
This is alarming but important to highlight and points to hidden risks like indoor air pollution from chulhas, poor ventilation and urban air quality which reminds us that cancer prevention goes beyond tobacco alone.