Lung health in young Indians rapidly declining

Once deemed diseases of old age, lung cancer and tuberculosis are now being seen earlier in life, raising fears among experts

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Experts have cautioned that lung health in younger Indians is deteriorating rapidly, with nearly 81,700 new cases of lung cancer each year reflecting the magnitude of the threat.

Once thought of as diseases of old age, lung cancer, COPD and tuberculosis are now being seen earlier in life, raising fears of a demographic and economic disaster.

The young who run at dawn in smog, the professionals who commute long distances through choking traffic, and the students sitting in polluted classrooms are breathing toxic air into their lungs every single day, experts noted.

This invisible injury will surface in their most productive years, when the country needs them most, they said.