“This is the first demonstration of this link,” says co-author Ian Blair, PhD, Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Pharmacology . “This is a second, but indirect, way in which PAHs can cause cancer. We also know that PAHs can also cause cancer directly.”

PAH, has the ability to cause the mutations in the cells alone and its ability to influence genes is something new that it surprised researchers that have been studying the results. Lung cancer is one of the leading forms of cancers responsible for deaths in the United States and better understanding of the disease such as this one leads to better treatment and management options to help those suffering from lung cancer.