Environmental Epidemiology of Cancer in South Asian Population: Risk Assessment Against Exposure to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Volatile Organic Compounds

Environmental epidemiology is a scientific approach used in risk assessment of a disease in a population. Despite of its merits, the proper aetiological explanation for a root cause is still not possible or very difficult to assess, but it offers an attractive strategy for the identification of root causes to health issues. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds are strong risk factors responsible for increasing cancer in South Asian population. Levels of these polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds are relatively far higher in South Asian region as compared to other regions of the globe. An additional major problem arises due to genetic susceptibility to cancer, because of gene polymorphisms in a large proportion of population. This review focuses on establishing a broad concept regarding an advance method of epidemiology and some key factors discussed regarded as important in evaluation of cancer risk with special reference to South Asian population.