How to Prevent Cancer by Avoiding Carcinogens
You can reduce your risk for cancer by avoiding carcinogens. Here are some ways.
Up next in Cancer & Disease Prevention (11 videos)
Reduce your risk of cancer and other diseases with the preventive measures in this Howcast video series about staying healthy.
You Will Need
- Non-styrene food packaging
- Organic foods
Steps
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Step 1
Avoid foam packaging
Avoid foam food packaging, which contains styrene that can be transferred to food inside. Animal studies have shown a link to cancer.
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Styrene was found in the urine samples of 87 percent of people tested in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study.
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Step 2
Avoid tetrachloroethylene
Avoid taking your clothes to dry cleaners that use tetrachloroethylene as a cleaning compound. The agent has been found to cause liver cancer and leukemia in rats. Alternative dry cleaning compounds include silicone- and hydrocarbon-based solvents.
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Step 3
Limit titanium dioxide
Limit your exposure to titanium dioxide, which is found in cosmetics, paints, paper, and plastics. Animal studies have confirmed the compound's carcinogenicity.
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The jury is still out on whether titanium dioxide nanoparticles found in cosmetics can be absorbed by the skin, and if they are absorbed, what their effects would be.
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Step 4
Stay away from diesel exhaust
Avoid diesel exhaust. These fumes have been linked to cancer in animal studies. Since diesel fumes are practically everywhere, your best bet for avoiding them is probably to move to an unpopulated tropical island.
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Step 5
Reduce aromatic hydrocarbons
Reduce your exposure to aromatic hydrocarbons by limiting your consumption of smoked, barbecued, or burnt foods.
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Step 6
Eat organic foods
Consider eating more organic foods. Organic foods contain lower concentrations of problematic food additives. Now you can enjoy a long, healthy life!
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Approximately 100 new food and color additive petitions are submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration annually. Additives cannot be approved if they are found to cause cancer in humans or animals.
