Over the past decade or so, air pollution has been increasingly spoken about in India, particularly in the context of the deterioration of air quality across large parts of the country, especially in the winter months. The air we breathe is known to be linked to respiratory illnesses and even cardiac disease, but now, experts say, there is also a strong association with a disease that is a rising burden in India: cancer.

Cancer numbers are rising, and rising fast in India. The Indian Council of Medical Research-National Cancer Registry Programme has projected that the number of cancer cases in the country will spike from 14.6 lakh in 2022 to 15.7 lakh in 2025. Approximately one in nine people in India is expected to face a cancer diagnosis during their lifetime, the ICMR estimates.