Over 90% of cancers are caused by environmental factors. In a way this is good news, say the experts, because it means most cancers aren’t genetic, and can be prevented by making the environment a less toxic, healthier place.
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Know your man-made carcinogens
Speaking at a press conference in Cape Town recently, Dr Carl Albrecht, Head of Research of the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA), said that the role of environmental factors had previously been underestimated.
“Some of these factors are well known, such as exposures to tobacco smoke, asbestos fibres and ultraviolet light,” says Albrecht. “But there are others – specifically, certain man-made environmental chemicals – that people aren’t aware of, and that CANSA is now focusing on.”
We’re less familiar with these man-made baddies, but they’re well on their way to becoming household names – precisely because you won’t want them in your household:
Bisphenol A and plastic bottles What is it?
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a man-made chemical used in the manufacture of certain plastic products. It’s ubiquitous in the modern world, cropping up in everything from credit cards to car interiors to… baby bottles.
But if BPA enters the human body this otherwise useful chemical has hormonal activity similar to the female hormone oestrogen, and can disturb biological processes at very low concentrations. Exposure to BPA is thought to increase the risk for breast cancer.
How are you exposed to it?
If BPA-containing plastics are heated, the BPA can be released. For example, if you pour hot milk into a BPA-containing baby bottle, the BPA can enter the hot milk – and the baby who drinks it.
It’s been found that 55 times more BPA is released from bottles filled with hot water compared to those with cold water.
How to avoid it
There’s little to fear from plastic bottles – as long as you don’t heat them.
“It’s the very hard plastic ones you need to beware of – they will say ‘PC’ for ‘polycarbonate’,"says Albrecht. "The softer plastic ones, like those for bottled water, have not been shown to be harmful. The only possible problem if you reuse them a lot – taking them repeatedly in and out of the fridge – is bacterial contamination.”
As a general rule, however, rather than worrying about whether a bottle contains BPA or not, Albrecht agrees that it’s best to simply avoid heating any plastic bottle. Use glass instead. You can also boil water or milk in another container and then allow it to cool before pouring it into a plastic bottle.
Plasticisers and clingwrap What are they?
Plasticisers are chemicals – known as DEHP and DEHA – used to make plastic softer and more ‘sticky’. They’re the reason why plastic wrap clings – and why it’s so hard to smooth it out again once you’ve scrunched it up. They’ve been found to cause cancer in animal studies.
How are you exposed to them?
Plasticisers can migrate into the food they’re wrapped around – especially fatty foods like cheese and meat. This process is accelerated at high temperatures such as when cling-wrapped food is microwaved.
How to avoid it
After laboratory tests on various clingwrap brands, CANSA has given the nod of approval to only one – Gladwrap – which is free of the offending chemicals.
You can also avoid using clingwrap by storing food in glass and plastic containers, or wrapping it in foil.
Trans fats What are they?
Trans fats, or trans fatty acids, are made (inadvertently) when plant oils are converted to margarine. In the 1990s, scientists realized that trans fats increased the risk of coronary artery disease. And now trans fats have been associated with breast cancer and prostate cancer.
How are you exposed to them?
You can ingest trans fats in many margarines and a lot of baked and fried goods.
How to avoid them
Fortunately, says Albrecht, margarines made by Unilever are free from trans fats. Examples include Flora, Rama, Stork and the SPAR house brand. Woolworths foods also do not contain transfats.
Acrylamide What is it?
Acrylamide is a chemical that forms spontaneously in carbohydrate food at high temperature, especially in potato crisps - and coffee.
At this stage acyrylamide is considered to be a probable human carcinogen, associated with kidney cancer, and post-menopausal and endometrial cancer. It is also neurotoxic.
How to avoid it
It may be premature to deny yourself the morning cuppa at this stage, but it’s never a bad idea to cut down. And we should all learn to live without the chips.
Dioxin What is it?
Dioxin refers to a group of toxic chlorinated organic compounds, produced as a by-product of many industrial processes, such as waste incineration and bleaching fibres.
Among the most toxin chemicals known, dioxins are long-lived in the environment and make their way into foods. They are soluble in fat, so they accumulate in the bodies of animals and humans over time. This means that small amounts are present in animal food products (meat and dairy). Thus, you can get dioxin in your body both by eating these foods and by inhaling emissions from pollutant sources.
Exposure has been linked to an array of negative health effects, including cancer, and reproductive and developmental problems.
How to avoid it
Reduce intake of animal fat, and choose low fat dairy.
Don't burn waste, and avoid environments where incineration is being carried out.
- Olivia Rose-Innes, Health24, June 2008
Additional information sources: Albrecht, C. 2008. The Cancer Association of South Africa's Position Statement on Cancer and the Environment. CANSA press release.
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