Environmental exposures and cancer: using the precautionary principle

Our plain-English summary of Environmental exposures and cancer: using the precautionary principle, by L. Cohen, A. Jefferies (Ecancermedicalscience, 2019).

The study

• Authors: L. Cohen, A. Jefferies
• Journal: Ecancermedicalscience
• Published: 2019;13:ed91
• Type of article: Editorial
• Cited by: 10 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Since the 1970s, more than 87,000 chemicals have been approved for commercial use. Yet of those thousands of chemicals, only just over one thousand have been formally examined and graded for their carcinogenic potential. Of those, five hundred have been found worthy of being graded on a cautiously worded scale ranging from "known" carcinogens to "possibly" carcinogenic. In addition to carcinogenic substances, a new field has emerged researching how environmental toxins cause endocrine or hormonal disruption. A class of these compounds known as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can be found in our food, our environment, and in the products we put on our bodies. Rather than being directly linked to causing cancer, like substances such as asbestos, EDCs influence our health by mimicking or enhancing or changing metabolic regulation. These compounds interfere with hormone production and metabolism in ways that may-especially over the long term-create biological conditions that make us more susceptible to cancer and other diseases. Most of us are exposed to a cocktail of environmental toxins on an ongoing daily basis and at a relatively low level of exposure. Given the lax regulation of chemicals and the reactionary approach of government regulators, it is up to the consumer to be diligent about reading labels and making healthy choices to limit exposure to chemicals and toxins. It is ideal to adopt the Precautionary Principle: until a chemical is found to be harmless, try to not use it. The precautionary principle means that you are maintaining awareness of what you are putting on and in your body and taking steps to avoid exposing yourself unnecessarily to toxins in your household and environment.

In plain English

This article is an editorial, adapted from the authors' 2018 book Anticancer Living, and it reported no new research. The authors focused mainly on endocrine-disrupting chemicals in food, consumer products and the environment. They described these chemicals as affecting health differently from substances directly linked to cancer, such as asbestos. Citing the International Agency for Research on Cancer, they wrote that 120 chemicals had been identified as known carcinogens, 81 as probable and 299 as possible. In a section on U.S. chemical regulation, the editorial stated that the link between asbestos and lung cancer and other disease was scientifically established. It also stated that asbestos was still legal and used in the United States while banned in more than fifty other countries, that it could still be found in roofing and vinyl materials, brake pads and clutches, and that it had recently been detected in crayons. The editorial noted that dust after the World Trade Center attacks included asbestos among other toxins. The authors concluded that it is ideal to adopt the Precautionary Principle: until a chemical is found to be harmless, try to avoid exposure.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Editorial (opinion article adapted from the authors' 2018 book); not an original study or a systematic review
• Exposure: Man-made chemicals in general, mainly endocrine-disrupting chemicals in food, the environment and personal care products. Asbestos is mentioned as an example of a carcinogen directly linked to cancer.
• Main results:
  • Citing the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the editorial stated that 120 chemicals have been identified as known carcinogens, 81 as probable carcinogens and 299 as possibly carcinogenic
  • The editorial stated that the link between asbestos and lung cancer and other disease is scientifically established
  • The editorial stated that asbestos was still legal and used in the United States while banned in more than fifty other countries
  • The editorial stated that asbestos can still be found in roofing and vinyl materials, brake pads and other auto parts such as clutches
  • The editorial stated that asbestos was recently detected in crayons
  • The editorial stated that the toxic dust after the World Trade Center attacks included asbestos, lead and other toxins. It reported, citing the CDC program, that people enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program reported 6,378 separate incidences of cancer.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that it is ideal to adopt the Precautionary Principle: until a chemical is found to be harmless, try to avoid exposure

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Environmental Exposure, Precautionary Principle, Carcinogenic.

Related studies

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• Baby Powders and the Precautionary Principle — D. Rosner, G. Markowitz (2020)
• 8-Hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine as a marker of oxidative DNA damage related to occupational and environmental exposures — A. Pilger, H.W. Rüdiger (2006)
• Occupational and environmental exposures and cancers in developing countries — D. Hashim, P. Boffetta (2014)
• Children's health in Latin America: the influence of environmental exposures — A. Laborde, F. Tomasina, et al. (2015)
• Lung diseases due to environmental exposures to erionite and asbestos in Turkey — S. Emri, A. Demir, et al. (2002)

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