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Carcinogens may lurk in these household items
While around one third of death from cancer are due to high body mass index, smoking, alcohol use and lack of physical activity, some carcinogens are found in household items.
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While around one third of deaths from cancer occur in people with a high body mass index, smoking, alcohol abuse or a lack of physical activity, some carcinogens (any substance that promote carcinogenesis, the formation of cancer) are found in everyday household goods. (Shutterstock/Kheng Guan Toh)
C
ancer has become the second-leading cause of death globally. According to the WHO, the disease is estimated to kill almost 10 million people in 2018. While around one third of deaths from cancer occur in people with a high body mass index, smoking, alcohol abuse or a lack of physical activity, some carcinogens (any substance that promote carcinogenesis, the formation of cancer) are found in everyday household goods. Below is a list of items cancerous substances might lurk in.
Curtains and carpets
Reader’s Digest points out that cadmium, coming out of cigarette smoke, is carcinogenic. If smoking is done inside the house, cadmium may lurk on soft items, for instance, curtains and carpets, even though you no longer smell it.
Paint
Paints often contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which have long-term health effects. According to a study published in March in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, occupational exposure to paints makes painters and artists more vulnerable to lung, bladder or pancreatic cancer. VOC-free paints are available for use to avoid this risk.
Air freshener
Natural health news portal Natural On wrote that air fresheners, or any household items that contain some type of fragrance, have a toxic chemical called phthalates, known as harmful to the production of male hormones.
Meanwhile, the University of Washington conducted a study in 2008 that found how air fresheners emit carcinogenic chemicals. You may instead consider using natural essential oils to make the room smell nice.
Read also: Cancer to kill 10 million in 2018 despite better prevention
Cleaning products
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) released a guide to healthy cleaning, addressing the fact that some household cleaning products contained chemicals that are harmful to health and even linked to cancer.
Those products include laundry detergent, washing-up liquid and all-purpose cleaners. While almost half of the products poorly disclose their ingredients, more than one-fourth of all products assessed are linked to cancer.
Pesticides
Urban farming is a positive activity, but if pesticides are used in the practice, the urban farmer needs to be careful. Although pesticides overcome weeds and insects that sabotage the plants, they are unfortunately carcinogenic. Studies, for instance the one published by Wiley Online Library, found that pesticides were linked to an increased risk of cancer. (iru/mut)
