India, March 27 -- No conclusive data establishes a direct correlation of deaths, including by lung cancer, exclusively with air pollution, the Union environment ministry has told Parliament.

In a written response, minister of state Kirti Vardhan Singh said pollution is one of the factors for respiratory ailments and associated diseases. "Health is impacted by a number of factors which include food habits, occupational habits, socio-economic status, medical history, immunity, heredity, etc, of the individuals apart from the environment," he said in response to Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker Ashok Shankarrao Chavan's questions.

Chavan referred to studies published in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine Journal on the rapid increase in lung ...