Carcinogens: What are they and How Do I Avoid Them?

Substances that can cause changes in a cell’s DNA , that can lead to cancer are called carcinogens. Cancer is caused by abnormalities in a cell’s genetic "blueprint". These may be inherited from parents, or they may be caused by outside exposures to the body such as chemicals, radiation, or even infectious agents.
Some carcinogens do not act on DNA directly, but lead to cancer in other ways, such as causing cells to divide at a faster rate, which could increase the chances that DNA changes will occur.

Carcinogens do not always cause cancer. Substances classified as “carcinogens” may have different levels of potential for causing cancer.

Knowing what substances are classified as “carcinogens” can help you avoid exposure to them and decrease your cancer risk.  Although it isn’t always possible to know the relationship between exposure dose and risk, it is reasonable for public health purposes to assume that lowering human exposure will reduce risk.

People are exposed to numerous substances at any one time, including those they encounter at work, school, or home; in the food they eat; and the air they breathe. And it is usually many years (often decades) between exposure to a carcinogen and the development of cancer. Therefore, it can be very hard to single out any particular exposure as having a definite link to cancer.

Some of the “known” carcinogens that you can choose to avoid are: tobacco smoke, oral tobacco products, sun exposure - ultraviolet radiation, broadspectrum UV radiation, exposure to sunlamps www.or sunbeds, mineral oils, radon, coal tar, asbestos, alcoholic beverage consumption, and wood dust.  These are just a few of the known carcinogens. For a complete list see the American Cancer Society’s website at the following link: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_1_
3x_Known_and_Probable_Carcinogens.asp?sitearea=WHO.

Information for this article taken from the American Cancer Society.