Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
Doctors warn that pollution — from smog to cooking smoke — is reshaping India’s cancer burden in ways tobacco and genetics alone cannot explain.
India sees 1.4 million new cancers annually, projected to hit 1.57 million in 2025 — a spike experts link partly to worsening environmental exposures.
Oncologists report rising lung cancer cases in non-smoking women and younger patients, pointing to toxic air as the hidden trigger.
Microscopic PM2.5 particles penetrate lungs, enter bloodstreams, and damage DNA — turning city air into a carcinogenic cocktail.
Millions of households burn wood, coal, or dung for cooking, releasing cancer-causing fumes that disproportionately harm women in poorly ventilated kitchens.
Beyond air, industrial waste, pesticides, and heavy metals in soil and water are fueling gastrointestinal, prostate, and even blood cancers.
Cancers linked to pollution often take decades to appear — today’s diagnoses reflect exposures from 20–30 years ago.
As smoking rates flatten, the share of cancers driven by unchecked industrialization, traffic fumes, and poor air quality is becoming more visible.
Pollution is steadily driving up cancer cases across India, creating a looming health crisis that threatens to overwhelm hospitals and strain the healthcare system.