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473 points Brajeshwar | 2 comments | | HN request time: 0s | source
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lkbm ◴[] No.46218856[source]
> Particulates issued from tailpipes can aggravate asthma and heart disease and increase the risk of lung cancer and heart attack. Globally, they are a leading risk factor for premature death.

Minor nitpick, but tailpipes aren't the primary source of emissions. The study is about PM2.5[0]. which will chiefly be tires and brake pads. Modern gasoline engines are relatively clean, outside of CO2, though diesel engines spit out a bunch of bad stuff.

[0] https://www.nature.com/articles/s44407-025-00037-2

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oersted ◴[] No.46219122[source]
And besides, even if lung cancer and heart attack may be the most common means of premature death, it does not entail that air pollution is the primary cause of them. I thought that smoking and bad dietary/exercise habits were the main factors. Please correct me if I'm wrong, I'd like to know.
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1. throw-qqqqq ◴[] No.46219249[source]
> I thought that smoking and bad dietary/exercise habits were the main factors

While that is true, PM2.5 is still a major cause of lung cancer in non smokers, see e.g.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11729863/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11969995/

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2. oersted ◴[] No.46219375[source]
I see from your sources that lung cancer in non-smokers is still one of the top causes of death, and of course air-pollution is a primary cause of that. Good to know.