Environmental
By Jeannine Walston
Environmental health focuses on how the environment affects human health. Exposure to hazards such as polluted air and lead-contaminated water can increase the risk of developing serious health problems.
Scientists are continuing to investigate environmental exposures that cause or contribute to cancer development. A carcinogen is any agent capable of causing cancer. Carcinogens include chemicals, infectious agents, certain types of radiation, smoke, air pollution, and other substances.
A known carcinogen is a substance or exposure for which there is definitive evidence demonstrating it causes cancer in humans. In contrast, a probable carcinogen is one that is strongly associated with cancer, but the evidence is not conclusive for some.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), in collaboration with the World Health Organization, has Monographs Available on the IARC Monographs on the Identification of Carcinogenic Hazards to Humans, with detailed information. IARC also produces science-based reports on substances that can increase the risk of cancer in humans. Since 1971, the agency has evaluated more than 1,000 agents, including chemicals, complex mixtures, occupational exposures, physical agents, biological agents, and lifestyle factors. Of these, more than 500 have been identified as carcinogenic, probably carcinogenic, or possibly carcinogenic to humans.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), with the World Health Organization, publishes the IARC Monographs on the Identification of Carcinogenic Hazards to Humans . Since 1971, IARC has evaluated more than 1,000 agents, including chemicals, complex mixtures, occupational exposures, physical agents, biological agents, and lifestyle factors. Of these, over 500 have been classified as carcinogenic, probably carcinogenic, or possibly carcinogenic to humans. These science-based reports provide detailed information on substances that may increase cancer risk in humans.
The National Toxicology Program (NTP) has identified several chemical substances as known human carcinogens in NTP’s 15th Report on Carcinogens. However, the designation of a substance as a carcinogen does not guarantee it will cause cancer in every individual. The likelihood of developing cancer depends on many factors, including the level and duration of exposure, as well as a person’s genetic background. Fortunately, the precautionary principle explains why you should be cautious and make changes in your life.
Greater attention must be given to the environmental causes of cancer, as this focus is central to advances in cancer prevention and vital for those diagnosed with the disease. Environmental factors contributing to cancer should be thoroughly explored, carefully evaluated, and proactively addressed by reducing or eliminating exposures at every level—individual, local, regional, national, and global.
We are not separate from our environment.
We are intrinsically part of the environment.
Our bodies and lives reflect the environment around us.
Each part influences the whole.
Precautionary Principle
How can you make better decisions to reduce cancer risk by improving health and environmental decisions? Read about the precautionary principle.
Avoid Chemicals & Use Clean Non-Toxins for your Body & Life
Explore resources about what you put in your body, on your body, and around your body, and how it affects your environment, both inside and outside your home. Everyone needs this information, especially cancer patients and caregivers.
Toxins from Personal Care Products
Empower yourself with information about the most harmful toxin chemicals in personal care products and how they are dangerous to our health.