Why do people who have never smoked develop lung cancer?

Answer 1

when you live in a big city like new-york, mumbai, hong-kong, mexico.... you breathe smoke from all the cars and bus (and rickshaws), equal to one or two pack of cigarettes/day...

Answer 2

because they die of emphysema or heart disease first

The carcinogens in cigarette smoke are such that anyone who lives long enough will get lung cancer. Some people have good immune systems. These people tend to do better because the immune system can kill cancerous cells.

However, it's like any statistical thing - if you keep smoking long enough you are almost certain to get lung cancer, and then there is a very small population who will smoke and smoke and never get lung cancer for one reason or another. Most people are not in that population, and the other thing here is that cigarettes can kill you in a number of ways.

Answer 3

Well lung cancer (like most other cancers) is multifactorial in its origin so it cannot be pinned down to a single cause.
However,Smoking is most certainly its leading cause.

Other factors include atmospheric pollution, occupational exposures (such as asbestos),severe scarring of the lung as in long standing tuberculosis and even Vitamin A deficiency.

Secondary Lung cancer can also arise due to a metastatic tumour deposit from other organs.

Answer 4

Some people will just get it through bad luck, from having other cancers, or from other pollutants.

The bottom line is that no-one fully understands cancer but it does seem to happen randomly to everyone, and some activities (such as smoking, environmental pollutants etc) make it more likely.

Current science suggests that genetic susceptibility is far more of a contributing factor than anything else.

Answer 5

because other pollutants like the smoke from open fires seem to cause lung problems too
I first noticed this years ago with old ladies who had never smoked but had spent their lives cooking and boiling water over open wood fires seemed to have as much lung cancer as the men who did.smoke

Answer 6

Smoking is one of the major reason for having lung cancer but it is not the only one reason. Other reasons may be:

- Consumption of tobbaco or drugs
- Working Area Condition (Coal MInes)
- Dust, pollution
-etc..

Answer 7

Cancer is a type of exorbitant growth of body cells of specific organ or a system. You may get several answers pertaining to other pollutants, but there are other reasons like stress and supply of unwanted nutrition to the body tissues. It is like money, if anyone gets ample easy money, he is bound to form bad habits. Similarly, if you consume too much calories, the body may convert them to form an unwanted mass of the tissue which, which may be termed as cancer. REGULAR EXERCISE is must for prevention of any disease.

Answer 8

Cancer can attack any part of the body, whether u smoked or not
It chooses no particular life style or age or habits. It is cells that suddenly grow rampant within any body organ or system.
If scientists knew what triggered the multiplying of cells, they could possibly find a cure.

Answer 9

Hi
Lung cancer,for that matter any cancer is multifactorial.smoking is one of the causes of lung cancer and not the sole cause.other factors are environmental pollution.occupational asbestosis,genetic predisposition.M sure that there are more idiopathic unidentified causes.
Still smoking is the worst enemy of lungs.KEEP AWAY FROM SMOKING.

Answer 10

Cancer is not entirely due to active smoking. Passive smoking, ie. someone who stays close to u smokes regularly, will cause cancer. Also cancer causing genes may also be responsible

Answer 11

Due to the smoke of Government veichles