Men living in congested inner-city areas or close to major roads may face a higher risk of developing prostate cancer.

Results of the largescale study are published in the ‘Journal of Urology’ The research, which analysed health data from more than 220,000 men in Britain, found that those exposed to higher levels of air pollution were about 6.9 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than men living in less polluted areas.

The risk increased in line with higher levels of pollution exposure. Experts say the findings add to growing evidence linking environmental pollution to cancer and have renewed calls for urgent action to curb emissions from traffic and industry.

Researchers identified nitrate (NO₃), a pollutant largely produced by car exhausts and agricultural activity, as the most significant contributor to the increased risk. Although the exact biological mechanism is not yet fully understood, nitrogen — a key component of nitrate — is already known to promote cancer cell growth.