Australians are smoking less and less cigarettes as each year, since the the days when they were handed out free to non-smoking soldiers during in World War 2, passes by. And yet, lung cancer rates are still rising.
Why is this happening?
Trachea and lung cancer remains the third leading cause of death in Australia behind heart disease and strokes.
But while the top two are decreasing, there is a rising number of deaths due to lung cancer
According to new figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there were more than 7,600 deaths from trachea and lung cancer in 2007, up by about 900 on the number recorded in 1998.
According to the story, 15% of all lung cancer victims have never smoked, at all. So more than 1100 Australians are dying each year from lung cancer that is not a result of smoking. That's close to the nationwide road toll.
So what is causing so much lung cancer in non-smokers?
Breathing city air?
