Lung cancer is a very common malignancy of the lungs that originates in the bronchi, tracheal mucosa or gland sites, and has very high morbidity and mortality.
In 2022, there were 820,000 new cases of lung cancer in China, of which 710,000 cases died, which is a malignant disease that seriously threatens human health and life.
Therefore, in daily life, we must do a good job in preventing lung cancer. The cause of lung cancer is not very clear, but it is generally believed to be related to long-term smoking.
It's just that in daily life, there are many lung cancer patients who do not smoke, and they will still suffer from lung cancer.
Below, let's take a closer look at it.
What are the causes of lung cancer from not smoking?
1. Passive smoking
Passive smoking refers to living in a second- or third-hand smoke environment for a long time. The content of toxic, harmful, and carcinogens in this environment is many times higher than that produced by active smoking.
For example, the carbon monoxide content in the second-hand smoke environment is 5 times that of first-hand smoke, while nicotine and tar are 3 times, and ammonia is 46 times. For nitrosamines, a strong carcinogen that can cause lung cancer, it is 50 times more.
These forced carcinogens will be present in the air for a long time, as well as on the ground and furniture surfaces. If you live, work or study in such an environment, a series of volatile organic compounds such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide will strongly stimulate the respiratory mucosa.
Moreover, it will make the oxygen carrying capacity of hemoglobin decrease rapidly, and it is easy to make people cough repeatedly and have poor breathing.
A series of carcinogens such as formaldehyde, nitrosamines, and aromatic amines will cause a rapid decrease in human immunity, and the probability of lung cancer will be very high.
Second, stir-fry oil smoke pollution
Many women who do not smoke suffer from lung cancer, which is related to long-term exposure to stir-fried oil smoke.
When stir-frying, some black substances will be emitted from the oil smoke, many of which are toxic and carcinogens, including formaldehyde, acrylate and benzene. These substances can enter the lungs with breathing, and the probability of inducing asthma or lung cancer will be particularly high.
3. Long-term chronic lung disease
The probability of lung cancer is also particularly high for people who have suffered from a long-term range of lung diseases that are not actively treated, or whose symptoms persist repeatedly after treatment.
Examples include bronchiectasis, tuberculosis, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pulmonary nodules. These chronic lung diseases can lead to a long-term infection of the bronchial area, and the bronchial epithelium will undergo some abnormalities in chronic infection, and the probability of cancer will be relatively increased.
Fourth, bad living habits
For people with long-term bad living habits, the risk of lung cancer will also increase relatively. For example, in daily life, I like to eat some fried, barbecued, pickled foods for a long time, which contain a lot of benzopyrene, nitrite and other ingredients.
These ingredients will not only cause certain harm to the digestive tract, but also affect the health of the lungs, and also lead to reduced immune function.
In addition, if the diet lacks trace elements such as carotene, vitamins, and selenium, the probability of lung cancer will increase relatively.
In addition, if some bad emotions, such as anger or anxiety, occur for a long time, it will lead to a decrease in overall immune function, and the probability of cancer in the lungs will be relatively increased.
All in all, for people who do not smoke, the above 4 factors are the main causes of lung cancer. In addition, if you are exposed to some ionizing radiation for a long time, or live in an environment with heavy air pollution for a long time, the probability of developing lung cancer will also be relatively increased.
Therefore, if you want to avoid lung cancer, you must avoid the above factors. In addition, if you repeatedly experience symptoms such as irritating dry cough, hoarseness, chest pain, and blood in sputum, you must quickly go to a regular hospital for treatment. If it is caused by lung cancer, only early treatment can maximize the maintenance of their own health.