In recent years the concentration of ambient air particulate matter (PM) has remained high in China; however the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified that the outdoor air pollution and the particulate matter in outdoor air pollution are carcinogenic to humans. This article summarizes the current situation of PM pollution in China and reviews the research progress on the mechanism of PM carcinogenesis and the evidences given by China's toxicologic studies and epidemiological studies on PM carcinogenicity in the past decades. The article suggests that China should urgently conduct researches to confirm the relationship between PM and cancers and that a series of actions should be taken to alleviate China's air pollution.

air pollution  /  particulate matter  /  lung cancer