Cancer-Causing Substances
There are a number of different agents that cause cancer. Some of the most well known cancer causing agents are cigarettes and X-rays. However, these types of agents typically only cause cancer after the person is exposed to them on multiple occasions for long periods of time. While health specialists do urge people to quit smoking, they don’t tell them not to get X-rays, which can be a vital part of the healing process.
Other agents have been recently added to the list as cancer causing. Those include charcoaled or burnt barbeque meat. The substance that causes cancer is the darker parts that form on the meat when it is cooked at high temperatures. But again, researchers urge people not to panic. The risk of developing cancer from eating a few pieces of over-cooked meat is extremely low. Years of eating it, however, day after day, could increase your risk dramatically.
Other agents, substances, mixtures and exposures that cause cancer include:
- Lead to make storage batteries, ammunition, paint and cosmetics
- Asbestos, used to make insulation, textiles and friction materials
- Azathioprine, used in hospitals for medicine
- Benzidine, used to make dye
- Conjugated estrogens and Cyclophosphamide, used for medical purposes
- Diethylstilbestrol, used for medical purposes
- Chlorendic Acid, flame retardant
- Chloroform, refrigerant
- DDT, insecticide
- Different types of Estrogen, for medical uses
- Formaldehyde, used for adhesive and medical use
- Lead Acetate, used to cure paints and varnish
- Mirex, fire retardant
- Saccharin, sweetener and sugar substitute
- Safrole, for food flavoring
- Sulfallate, herbicide
- Toxaphene, insecticide
This is just a few of the hundreds of known cancer causing agents listed by the National Toxicology Program. For a complete list, visit http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov.
If you’re unsure about whether a product you use contains a harmful ingredient, compare its list of ingredients with those found at the National Toxicology Web site. If you’re still unsure, consider purchasing all natural, organic, and non-toxic products. It takes some shopping around and you’ll have to ask questions, but it’s well worth your and your family’s safety.
Tags: asbestos, brain cancer, cancer, cancer agents, cancer causing substances, cancerous foods, harmful chemicals, lung cancer, stomach cancer, toxins