Lung cancer, fueled by smog, now China's biggest cause of death

Tighten those masks and turn up that air purifier, we have some bad news.

A senior law maker has reported to Xinhua – so we can assume this is not exactly a fringe opinion – that “of all cancers, lung cancer mortality has increased the fastest in recent years,” and that, “the primary reason is the polluted air.”

This may not seem like breaking news (after all, who didn’t know that smogging causes cancer?) but it is particularly unsettling to hear even the tippy-top of government organs essentially throwing its hands up in the face of China’s epic clouds of PM2.5.

The comments came during a discussion on a “Law on the Prevention and Control of Atmospheric Pollution,” in Beijing. With the wonderful experience of the Beijing marathon so recent in everyone’s minds, it’s probably about time to take this whole pollution thing seriously.

Lung cancer is now the top killer for males in the country and the second-largest killer of women. To repeat: even though they don’t look particularly cool, wear a freaking mask.