ESMO Statement for the 77th World Health Assembly

Agenda item 15.4: Climate change, pollution and health - Impact of chemicals, waste and pollution on human health

Honorable Chair, Esteemed Delegates,

The European Society for Medical Oncology, representing over 35,000 cancer professionals from 172 countries, welcomes the Director-General’s report on the ‘Impact of chemicals, waste and pollution on human health’.

As medical oncologists, the prevention of cancer through improvements to air quality is a key objective for us, as scientific evidence - presented at ESMO’s Congresses in 2022 and 2023 – clearly demonstrates links between air pollution and lung cancer in non-smokers as well as between air pollution and the incidence of breast cancer.

Accordingly, we urge Member States to legislate for the alignment of their air quality standards with the WHO’s recommendations, in particular the annual limit value for fine particulate matter (PM2.5), thereby significantly reducing the incidence of the aforementioned cancers. Moreover, avoidance of environmental pollution and environmental protection should be a priority.

Thank you.