Heat-Driven Building Sealing and Indoor Air Pollutant Load in the UAE: A Hypothesis for EGFR-Mutant Lung Cancer Promotion
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) experiences some of the most extreme summer temperatures on record, regularlyreaching 42°C to 45°C, which drives residents to spend up to 80–95% of their time inside tightly sealed, airconditioned spaces. This design choice (necessary for thermal survival) creates conditions where fine particulatematter (PM2.5), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and other indoor emissions can accumulate under reducedventilation. A landmark experimental study (Hill et al., 2023) established that PM2.5 can act as a non-mutagenictumor promoter: inhaled particles activate an interleukin-1β (IL-1β) inflammatory cascade that drives dormant, preexisting EGFR-mutant alveolar cells into clonal expansion. This narrative review draws on building science, indoorair monitoring, and molecular oncology literature to evaluate whether that promotional pathway is plausible in theUAE context. We map the evidence carefully against what is established versus what remains hypothetical, addressmajor regional confounders including incense, waterpipes, and radon, propose three falsifiable research predictions,and consider practical policy implications for UAE indoor air quality standards.Status: Preprint / hypothesis review.Author: Dani F. AlashkarAffiliation: Abu Dhabi UniversityVersion: 1.0Copyright: © 2026 Dani F. Alashkar. All rights reserved.
Author: Al Ashkar, Dani
Institution: Abu Dhabi University
Language: English
Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7204203764
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