Please help me - Is this likely to happen?

[robynf]

I'm a 13 year old girl and I have to walk up a very busy main road for about 20mins to get to my bus stop. All I can smell every single day is car fumes that I am inhaling, (not on purpose). I have to do this for 2 more years before it is possible for me to be taken up in the car. Is it possible or likely that I will get Lung Cancer from that? Should I be worried? Or am I just a bit paranoid? Thanks, any advice will be much appreciated.x

[boxtops]

Did you look at all the answers on your earlier thread, robyn? http://www.theanswerb.../Question1107199.html

[boxtops]

PS don't change it now, but you'd be better putting this in the Health topic, under Body and Soul, next time.

[robynf]

Oh yes sorry um new to all of this:-)x

[NOX]

In theory you could, in practice it's fine, very unlikely to happen to you especially at your age having done it for such a short time. Many people, most people in cities in fact walk or cycle to work in busy traffic and very few of them proportionately get lung cancer. I would be more worried about the fact that you obviously feel so tense and worried about it. Stress and anxiety is far more damaging to your health than walking to school in a busy area. Try to relax, see your Dr when you have a moment, explain to him or her your worries and concerns and try to put your mind at rest and not worry so much. I'm 51 and although I now live in the country I spent all my life practically in either Belfast or London, and I, along with most other folk who live and work there have not developed anything nasty because of it.

[MarkRae]

If you're seriously concerned, you might consider one of these: http://www.icanbreathe.com/

[birdie1971]

No. It's highly unlikely. And by highly unlikely I mean astronomically improbable.

I wouldn't say that you are paranoid. I would say that you have been misinformed by a media that seems to want to scare everybody to death with stories of what is about to strike them dead. Relax. Of all the things that may kill you in today's world, air pollution comes very, very low on the list.

[sith123]

look, a olto of people have to do this robynf, it can have effects but it is near impossible to avoid it. If you want i suggest you try marks idea. :)