Battle Against Deadly Cancer by Prevention with Information
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To be informed is to be armed, and with the knowledge on the prevention of cancer, a vast percentage can be prevented and cured. Exposures to cancer-causing carcinogens may be found in more products than you may be aware of, as well as to individuals working in the industrial sector.
Greases and oils are known carcinogens that cause cancer from exposure. Oil spills pose a heightened risk of cancer — a high-risk toxic cocktail made up of substances which cause cancer and damage to the endocrine system. Pictured, 12,000 tons of leaking oil from the Jiyyeh plant, which polluted the Lebanese coast and spread north into Syrian waters according to UNEP. Photo Obbino
There are more than a startling 100 types of cancers — any part of your body can be affected.
One third of cancers can be cured if detected early enough and treated, and over 30% can be prevented by not smoking, eating healthy, staying active, and preventing infections that cause cancer — a staggering 20% of all cancers throughout the world are caused by chronic infections.
Gulf-Oiled Pelicans. Heavily oiled Brown Pelicans captured at Grand Isle, Louisiana on June 3 2010 wait to be cleaned of Gulf spill crude at The Fort Jackson Wildlife Care Center in Buras, LA. Photo IBRRC
Washing a Gannet from caustic BP oil spill. Photo Les Stone, IBRRC
Regular exposure to some chemicals and products, such as in the job place, have been revealed to cause cancer. Some types of cancer are 10 times higher among industrial workers than the general public at large.
• Recent research by the National Cancer Institute has linked non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma to solvents, oils, and various grease exposures.
• Higher risk of multiple myeloma for those working in the textile and plastics industries.
• Lymphoma amongst lab workers at the US Department of Agriculture.
• Children whose parents worked with chemical carcinogens, spray paints, dyes, and pigments during their mother’s pregnancy are at risk of childhood leukemia — chances increase between 2 to 5-fold.
Deepwater Horizon Flaring Operation. Gas from the damaged Deepwater Horizon wellhead is burned by the drillship Discoverer Enterprise May 16 2010, in a process known as flaring. Gas and oil from the wellhead are being brought to the surface via a tube that was placed inside the damaged pipe. U.S. Coast Guard photo Petty Officer 3rd Class Patrick Kelley
Lung Cancer has doubled in recent decades amongst non-smokers due to various factors including a wide range of occupational exposures and urban air pollution.
Plastics and Cancer
Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and / or reduce costs. Monomers of plastic are either natural or synthetic organic compounds.
Photo Joost J. Bakker
Due to their insolubility in water and relative chemical inertness, pure plastics generally have low toxicity in their finished state, and will pass through the digestive system with no ill effect — other than mechanical damage or obstruction.
But plastics often contain a variety of toxic additives. Plasticizers like adipates and phthalates are frequently added to brittle plastics such as PVC to make them pliable enough to use in food packaging, children’s toys and teethers, tubing, shower curtains and a plethora of other items.
Traces of these chemicals can leach out of the plastic when it comes into contact with food. Due to these concerns, the European Union has banned the use of DEHP (di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate), the most widely used plasticizer in PVC. Some compounds leaching from polystyrene food containers have been found to interfere with hormone functions and are suspected human carcinogens.
While the finished plastic may be non-toxic, the monomers used in its manufacture may be toxic, and small amounts of those chemicals may remain trapped in the product. The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has recognized the chemical used to make PVC, vinyl chloride, as a known human carcinogen. Some polymers may also decompose into the monomers or other toxic substances when heated.
As of January 2010, the LA Times newspaper reports that the United States FDA is spending $30 million to investigate suspicious indications of BPA being linked to cancer.
The primary building block of polycarbonates, bisphenol A (BPA), is an estrogen-like endocrine disruptor that may leach into food. Research in Environmental Health Perspectives finds that BPA leached from the lining of tin cans, dental sealants and polycarbonate bottles can increase body weight of lab animals’ offspring. A more recent animal study suggests that even low-level exposure to BPA results in insulin resistance, which can lead to inflammation and heart disease.
The manufacturing of plastics also often creates large quantities of chemical pollutants.
Animal rehabilitation after contact with oil. MI DNRE photo. August 2nd, 2010.
Photo US Fish and Wildlife Service
Kingfisher bird rescued in one of the mangroves to be cleaned up from oil spill at Nueva Valencia, Guimaras. The Takong Island National Marine Reserve was severely damaged. Photo Shubert Ciencia
Soldiers of the Louisiana National Guard continue constructing the interlocking water diversion system near Venice, LA., at the southwest pass of the Mississippi River Delta, May 14, 2010. Photo US Army
Sources: Online MBA and Wikipedia
Tags:cancer carcinogen carcinogens health infographic information prevention science
This is the perfect blog for anyone who wants to know about this topic. You know so much its almost hard to argue with you (not that I really would want…HaHa). You definitely put a new spin on a subject thats been written about for years. Great stuff, just great!
