Aliza Bran
abran@susandavis.com
(202) 414-0798
WASHINGTON (April 21, 2015) – Today on Earth Day and every other day, LUNGevity, the nation’s leading lung cancer nonprofit, applauds environmental organizations’ commitment to the protection and improvement of the health of our planet, its people, and their lungs through efforts to reduce pollution levels.
In 2013, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), one of the American Cancer Society’s primary sources of information on cancer-causing substances, classified outdoor air pollution as a carcinogen. Data from the Global Burden of Disease study, a project that analyzed cause-specific mortality, indicate that in the year 2010, 223,000 lung cancer deaths worldwide resulted from air pollution. The work that has been done in the last few decades to lower the level of exposure to air pollutants has made an impact, making the air safer and reducing the significant health hazards.
“This Earth Day, LUNGevity Foundation applauds the work that environmental organizations do to keep our air clean and our lungs healthy. Air quality and pollution are major health concerns, and we are grateful to the organizations that serve on the front lines in the best interests of our environment and our health,” said Andrea Ferris, president and chairman of LUNGevity Foundation.
About Lung Cancer
- 1 in 15 Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer in their lifetime
- More than 221,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year
- About 60%-65% of all new lung cancer diagnoses are among people who have never smoked or are former smokers
- Lung cancer takes more lives than the next three cancers (colorectal, breast, and prostate) combined
- Only 17% of all people diagnosed with lung cancer will survive 5 years or more, BUT if it’s caught before it spreads, the chance for 5-year survival improves dramatically
About LUNGevity Foundation
LUNGevity Foundation is firmly committed to making an immediate impact on increasing quality of life and survivorship of people with lung cancer by accelerating research into early detection and more effective treatments, as well as by providing community, support, and education for all those affected by the disease. Our vision is a world where no one dies of lung cancer. For more information about LUNGevity Foundation, please visit www.LUNGevity.org.