Impact of Environment Pollution on Cancer Mortality in India and Possible Preventive Measures to Reduce the Risk

Environmental pollution in India has increased from uncontrolled emission of chemical pollutants from the Industries, automobiles and non-point sources where modern agricultural practices are used. These chemicals have contaminated the air, water, soil and their residues have been detected in drinking water, food and consumer products. Some of these are very persistent in the environment and have bioaccumulated in the biota and human tissues including human breast milk. Industrial development raised the affluence of the people of the country causing changes in lifestyle habits resulting in exposure to chemicals not common before. Contaminated women can release these pollutants under stress during pregnancy and expose the fetus through the transplacental pathway. Infants can be exposed during nursing by the exposed mothers. Many of these chemicals are highly toxic and have carcinogenic and/or endocrine disrupting activities. In addition, some of the products imported to the country have carcinogenic activity. In the past generations Kangri cancer in Kashmir, Khaini cancer in Bihar and UP, Betel-chewing oral cancer, Chutta cancer in Andhra Pradesh, cancer of the base of the tongue and tonsils in Gujarat, lung cancer among bidi and cigarette smokers, Dhoti (Lenguti) cancer in Bihar and UP, cancer of the cervix in females were prevalent. Currently, the cancer sites of Indians include primarily the oral cavity, throat, esophagus, lungs, cervix, breast, skin, stomach, rectum, blood, prostate, liver, thyroid and bladder in addition to the cancers observed in 1960s in India. Yearly an estimated 600,000 -700,000 deaths due to cancer occur in the country today. The state of Punjab, where farmers implemented modern agricultural practices including use of pesticides earlier than other states, seems to have the country's highest cancer mortality rate. This translation research has tried to examine association of exposure to environmental carcinogens and increased mortality of certain cancers, and implementation of primary and secondary preventive measures to reduce the cancer incidence rate in India.