Bengaluru: While air pollution is often associated with breathing issues and lung cancers, recent studies indicate its effects may go well beyond the respiratory system. “Long-term exposure to air pollution may have a role in development of gynaecological cancers, Delhi-NCR experts said, citing emerging research on the possible links between PM2.5 exposure, reproductive health and cancers of the female reproductive system,” a report by PTI states. Experts explained that gynaecological cancers can develop due to several factors, with environmental exposures potentially influencing the biological processes associated with cancer development.“PM2.5 is of interest because prolonged exposure is associated with inflammation, oxidative stress and systemic biological effects,” Dr Rama Joshi, gynae onco surgeon and chairman, Gynae Oncology and Robotic Surgery, Fortis Gurugram, said in a report by The Indian Express.The report further states that Joshi stressed that an association between pollution exposure and cancer does not mean that pollution directly causes cancer, adding that such evidence in gynaecological cancers is still evolving and findings have not been uniform across studies. More India-specific data is needed before drawing conclusions about causation.The analysis included nearly 1.8 lakh women aged 15-24 for menarche (the first menstrual cycle) and nearly three lakh women aged 30-49 for menopause, with stronger associations reported in northern India, including areas such as Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and parts of Uttar Pradesh.According to the daily, the study found that women exposed to PM2.5 concentrations above 40 micrograms per cubic metre had 24 per cent higher odds of delayed menarche and a 23 per cent higher hazard of early menopause. Researchers analysed data from the National Family Health Survey along with satellite-derived PM2.5 estimates and other environmental indicators. Joshi said, “Women should focus on the risk factors that we already know can be modified or monitored. Maintaining a healthy weight, staying physically active, managing diabetes and other metabolic conditions, understanding family history and seeking timely evaluation for abnormal bleeding remain important. Environmental pollution is an additional concern that deserves further scientific investigation.”The risks associated with air pollution extend beyond gynaecological cancers. Per a report by The Times of India, patients as young as 15 are being seen at a Delhi hospital with gastrointestinal (GI) cancer. “A 2026 review of 70 studies on air pollution and gastrointestinal diseases found that long-term exposure to particulate matter was associated with higher mortality with GI cancers with a notable association involving colorectal cancers.” The experts also referred to a recent India-wide study that examined the relationship between environmental exposure and reproductive health among Indian women, TOI reported.What is PM2.5?Air pollution consisting of particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, known as PM2.5, can enter the lungs and bloodstream and is a major health risk in India.The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health reported, citing a study published in The Lancet Planetary Health that estimated that long-term exposure to air pollution contributed to approximately 1.5 million additional deaths annually in India, compared with a scenario in which air pollution levels met the World Health Organization’s recommended guidelines.The report states, “Researchers have now examined the link between these [PM2.5] particles and mortality over a ten-year period (2009-2019). Unlike previous studies, this study was across all of India and used a new model of PM2.5 for every 1x1km of the country.”“The results show that current guidelines in India are not sufficient to protect health. Stricter regulations and measures to reduce emissions are of utmost importance,” said co-author Petter Ljungman of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden in the report.In June 2026, a study traced the exact biological chain through which air pollution damaged unborn babies, shutting down a protein critical for foetal growth and causing effects that can stretch into late childhood.