5 everyday things that can give you cancer

The cancer epidemic is clearly out of hand.

While I didn’t know a single person who died from cancer when I was a kid, the disease now claims more people I love every year.

I lost my grandfather to lung cancer, my uncle to liver cancer, my father-in-law to bladder cancer and my aunt is now fighting ovarian cancer.

And, my family is not the only one suffering… over 38 percent of people will now be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lifetime.

So, what gives? What’s causing this explosion of cancer rates?

For starters, according to Dr. Isaac Eliaz, only about half of us believe that the food we eat or our lifestyle habits, like exercise, might influence our risk of developing the disease. These statistics suggest that many of us feel we don’t have much control when it comes to cancer prevention.

Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, you can take a look around your home and find these five things that affect your cancer risk right now… and take steps to lessen your chances of developing cancer…

#1 — Alcohol

Hey, I love a nice glass of wine with dinner but unfortunately, alcohol and cancer go together like peas and carrots.

In fact, alcohol has been linked to an increased risk of breast, esophageal, liver, colorectal, head and neck cancer.

So, what’s the link between alcohol and cancer?

Well, it’s simple… Your body takes the ethanol in each alcoholic beverage you drink and turns it into acetaldehyde. Unfortunately, this acetaldehyde can actually damage your DNA… a step toward cancer.

It also damages your liver, leading to inflammation and scarring and slows your body’s ability to break down and get rid of other harmful chemicals, leaving your cells, “Cancer Waiting to Happen.”

Does that mean you shouldn’t drink at all? Sure, giving up alcohol is far better for your cancer risk than drinking too much. But there may be a drinking sweet spot that reduces your cancer risk more than giving up alcohol altogether.

#2 — Paper plates and popcorn

Convenience is something we all love about the modern world but it just might kill us… Especially when it comes to paper plates and microwave popcorn.

That’s because those plates and the bags for popping that yummy popcorn are coated in grease-proof chemicals called perfluorinated chemicals or PFCs and PFASs. And, according to the Environmental Working Group, they’ve been linked to everything from immune problems to cancer!

Related: Fast food packaging more dangerous than the foods they hold

In animal models, perfluorinated chemicals disrupt endocrine activity, reduce immune function and adversely affect multiple organs, including the pancreas and liver.

Unfortunately, these toxins have a long half-life in the body… which means the time it takes for just 50 percent of the chemical to leave your body is several years.

#3 — Air fresheners and scented candles

I’m a sucker for a fresh-smelling house as much as the next person but unfortunately, studies have shown that many of them are packed with ingredients you’d never imagined, like formaldehyde….

Yep, that chemical they use to embalm bodies. I bet that’s not what you imagined breathing in when you took a great big whiff of the air in your house.

And, guess what….

Formaldehyde is a big-time cancer risk! The longer you’re exposed, the higher your risk. But it’s not just in your scented candles. You’ll find it throughout your home in pressed wood, particleboard, plywood and some insulation materials.

A number of cohort studies showed an increased risk of death from Leukemia for occupational formaldehyde exposure.

#4 — Non-stick pans

That cookware you love that keep your eggs from sticking could be giving you cancer.

You see, most of those non-stick pans are coated with chemicals from the Perfluorinated Perfluorochemicals, also called PFOAs. PFOAs come from the same family of toxic chemicals as what you read about above in popcorn and paper plates.

And, you guessed it… PFOAs cause cancer, too – specifically kidney, testicular and thyroid cancers.

Whatever you do, find another pan to cook your food in so you don’t leach PFOAs into your food.

#5 — Sunscreen

Sunscreens with an ingredient like oxybenzone and retinyl palmitate can do more harm than good…

The Food and Drug Administration believes retinyl palmitate may damage skin cells and cause cancer. Many sunscreens also contained oxybenzone, which can alter hormones.

Beyond the EWG analysis, sunscreen chemicals are thought to increase the prevalence of free radicals, the unstable atoms and molecules that damage DNA. In addition, compounds like titanium dioxide have been shown to cause genetic damage in mice. Other sunscreen chemicals have been linked to endocrine disruption.

Be sure to read the labels of any sunscreen you buy and throw out the dangerous ones already in your home. Perhaps the best topical protection against sun damage is old, reliable zinc oxide, which provides broad-spectrum protection and is safe.

We’re exposed to more and more cancer-causing agents every day, including in our own homes. Read the ingredients and take precautions to ensure that you and your family are as safe as possible.

Sources:

Cancer Statistics — National Cancer Institute

Alcohol and Cancer Risk — National Cancer Institute

Formaldehyde and Cancer Risk — National Cancer Institute

Alcohol Use and Cancer — American Cancer Society

Teflon and Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) — American Cancer Society

Five year change in alcohol intake and risk of breast cancer and coronary heart disease among postmenopausal women: prospective cohort study — American Cancer Society

National Study: Toxic Nonstick Chemicals Still Found in Many Fast Food Wrappers — Environmental Working Group

Perfluorinated Chemicals (PFCs) — National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Why air fresheners and scented candles can wreck your health: They could cause cancerous DNA mutations and asthma — Daily Mail

DuPont found liable for cancer case — Chemistry World

The Truth About Sunscreen And Cancer — Easy Health Options