Cancer: The Risks Are Everywhere

A study released on May 5 by the President's Cancer Panel came to a startling conclusion for the medical mainstream: the chemicals that surround us in our homes and workplaces are causing cancer. Not only that, but these chemicals are responsible for a larger percentage of cancers than previously believed.

The panel suggests that we should be concerned about eating organic food, microwaving in glass rather than plastic, and checking our homes for radon – just as much as we worry about well-know cancer-causing substances like cigarette smoke and asbestos.

The report in particular urges pregnant women to be especially careful about exposure to chemicals, saying that up to 300 substances have been detected in the umbilical cords of newborn babies. Exposure during a baby's development in the womb is believed to be especially dangerous, and the report refers to to babies born today as "pre-polluted".

So what's being done to protect us from exposure to these cancer-causing chemicals? 

Writing in the New York Times, Nicholas Kristof says it's going to take a political fight to change the way people think about cancer prevention:

Industry may howl. The food industry has already been fighting legislation in the Senate backed by Dianne Feinstein of California that would ban bisphenol-A, commonly found in plastics and better known as BPA, from food and beverage containers...

Some 41 percent of Americans will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives, and they include Democrats and Republicans alike. Protecting ourselves and our children from toxins should be an effort that both parties can get behind — if enough members of Congress are willing to put the public interest ahead of corporate interests.

A more recent article on the study in the LA Times points out that we really have a poor idea of what causes cancer.

According to the National Cancer Institute, tobacco accounts for 29% to 31% of cancer deaths, diet for 20% to 50%, infectious disease for 10% to 20%, ionizing and ultraviolet light for 5% to 7%, occupational exposure for 2% to 4%, and pollution for 1% to 5%. Zahm notes, however, that these numbers are from a 1981 paper reviewing studies from the 1970s, which probably studied exposures dating back to the 1960s and earlier.

Since then, no one has tried to revise the estimates, in large part because determining causative factors in cancer is a very difficult job.

This is obviously an area of cancer research where a lot of work remains to be done. But there are a few things you can do right now to lower your risk of cancer:

• Check your home for unhealthy radon levels
• Filter your drinking water
• Store food in glass or stainless steel containers rather than plastics containing softening agents
• Microwave food in glass or ceramic containers, not plastic
• Consume foods that are grown without growth hormones, chemical fertilizers, or pesticides
• Avoid eating well-done meats
• Pregnant women and babies should avoid exposure to harmful chemicals in makeup and toys - check www.cosmeticsdatabase.com or www.healthystuff.org for more info 
• Limit your exposure to x-rays and medical tests utilizing radiation
• Air out new carpets, drapes, and other home furnishings to avoid exposure to formaldehyde
• Use regular soap instead of anti-bacterial soap to wash your hands
• If you are regularly exposed to possibly harmful chemicals in your workplace, remove your shoes and outer clothing before entering your home

If this is all sounds like a bit much, don't worry about remembering each little point.

According to the LA Times article, "you'll get the biggest bang for your cancer-prevention buck by avoiding tobacco smoke and the midday sun, eating fresh fruits and vegetables, choosing whole grains over refined ones, and working out for at least a half-hour, five days a week." Now that's comforting advice.