"List of Cancer-Causing Agents Grows
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. - The Department of Health and Human Services released its Eleventh Edition of the Report on Carcinogens today, adding seventeen substances to the growing list of cancer-causing agents, bringing the total to 246. For the first time ever, viruses are listed in the report: hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, and some human papillomaviruses that cause common sexually transmitted diseases. Other new listings include lead and lead compounds, X-rays, compounds found in grilled meats, and a host of substances used in textile dyes, paints and inks.
"Among U.S. residents, 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will develop cancer at some point in their lifetimes. Research shows that environmental factors trigger diseases like cancer, especially when someone has a family history," said Kenneth Olden, Ph.D., director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program, which prepared the report for HHS.
The Report on Carcinogens, Eleventh Edition, referred to as the "RoC," lists cancer-causing agents in two categories -- "known to be human carcinogens" and "reasonably anticipated to be human carcinogens." The report now contains 58 "known" and 188 "reasonably anticipated" listings. Federal law requires the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to publish the report every two years.
Six substances have been added to the "known" category:
X-radiation and gamma-radiation are listed in the report as "known human carcinogens" because human studies show that exposure to these kinds of radiation causes many types of cancer including leukemia and cancers of the thyroid, breast and lung. The risk of developing cancers due to these forms of ionizing radiation depends to some extent on age at the time of exposure. Childhood exposure is linked to an increased risk for leukemia and thyroid cancer. Exposure during reproductive years increases the risk for breast cancer, and exposure later in life increases risk for lung cancer. Exposure to X-radiation and gamma radiation has also been shown to cause cancer of the salivary glands, stomach, colon, bladder, ovaries, central nervous system and skin.
Of the total worldwide exposure to X-radiation and gamma-radiation, 55 percent is from low-dose medical diagnosis such as bone, chest and dental X-rays, and 43 percent is from natural sources like radon. Other sources, such as industry, scientific research, military weapons testing, nuclear accidents and nuclear power generation, account for about 2 percent."
niehs.nih.gov |
