Today is World lung cancer day: Breathing danger indoors: Why non-smoking women are facing a silent lung cancer crisis

Lung cancer has long been seen as a smoker’s disease. But a growing crisis is now unfolding quietly in Indian homes. More women who have never smoked a single cigarette are being diagnosed with lung cancer. Many Indian women, especially in urban areas, spend a large part of their day indoors cooking, cleaning, caring for the family. But what we often ignore is that the air inside these homes can be just as harmful, or even worse, than outdoor pollution. Fumes from cooking or even gas in poorly ventilated kitchens, combined with dust, incense smoke, mosquito coils, and indoor construction dust, all add up over the years. Breathing this toxic mix every day puts their lungs under constant stress.

“We’re seeing a disturbing trend of non-smoking women presenting with advanced stages of lung disease, especially cancer,” says Dr. Sunil Kumar K, Lead Consultant - Interventional Pulmonology at Aster CMI Hospital, Bangalore. “Prolonged exposure to indoor pollutants, especially in homes with poor ventilation, is a major and often overlooked risk factor.”

The tragic part is that most of these women never even realise they are at risk. There’s no loud warning sign. No pain. Just a persistent cough, a bit of breathlessness, or some unexplained tiredness. Symptoms that are often brushed off as minor or blamed on age, dust allergy, or general weakness. By the time they reach a hospital and are tested, cancer is often in a late stage. This delay in diagnosis is one of the key reasons lung cancers remains so deadly.

Doctors are now seeing a clear trend. Pulmonologists across cities are reporting an increase in lung cancer cases among non-smoking women, especially those over 40. Some of them are homemakers, while others are working women exposed to high indoor and outdoor pollution. The long-term exposure to indoor pollutants, especially in poorly ventilated homes, can cause changes in the lungs like those caused by smoking.

What makes this even more heartbreaking is that it is largely preventable.

Simple changes can reduce the risk significantly. Using chimneys or exhaust fans in kitchens, ensuring better ventilation, switching to cleaner cooking fuels like LPG or induction stoves, reducing the use of incense sticks and mosquito coils, and keeping homes dust-free can go a long way in protecting lung health. Air purifiers may help in high-pollution areas, but the bigger goal should be making our homes safer through awareness and basic design changes.

Equally important is paying attention to early signs. If a woman has a cough that lasts for more than two weeks, or feels short of breath while doing daily tasks, it should not be ignored. A chest X-ray or CT scan could detect lung changes early, when treatment is more effective. Health check-ups should include questions about exposure to smoke and pollutants at home, not just smoking history.

This silent crisis needs to be spoken about more at clinics, in media, and at home. Women must know that lung cancer is not just a smoker’s disease. It is a disease that can come from the very air we breathe, especially in spaces we consider safe.

And perhaps most importantly, we must stop assuming that only certain people are at risk. Because every breath matters. And for thousands of Indian women, that breath is already being taken away, one invisible puff at a time.