Written By: Poorva Chavan | Updated: October 14, 2016, 12:42 PM
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We are exposed to carcinogens everywhere, but rarely do we realise that a haven like our home can give us cancer. Here are six surprising things you cannot do without at home that can cause cancer.
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Your cleaning products--Cleaning products like detergent and disinfectants, which are used daily in homes, contain chemicals like alkyl phenols, triclosan and tetrachloroethylene. These chemicals affect the endocrine system, creating hormonal imbalances [1]. These chemicals have also been linked to different types of cancers like that of the breast and the prostate.
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Canned food--Cans used for packaging foods are lined with BisPhenol A, which is a thin plastic layer. BPA is associated with hormonal imbalances and can trigger hormone-dependent tumours such as breast cancer and prostate cancer. BPA is also associated with male and female infertility and cause various disorders like Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).[2]
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Your fruits and vegetables--There's no way we can know where the fruits and vegetables we eat, grow. Plus, insecticides, pesticides and chemical fertilisers are used excessively to prevent rotting or to improve the yield. But chemical pesticides like DDT and nitrate and phosphate fertilisers, which are commonly used, have been linked to increasing incidence of cancer[3]. Hence, it is believed that going organic can reduce the incidence of cancer.
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Your cookware--Non-stick pans and utensils have become very common nowadays. However, non-stick pans have a coating of Poly Tetra Fluoro Ethylene (PTFE) that emits toxic fumes when heated to high temperatures. According to the Environment Working Group, when this eroded coating is ingested, it isn't expelled quickly from the body. The coating is supposedly cancerous and the fumes are dangerous for pregnant women and people with suppressed immunity.
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Your cosmetics--Your everyday personal care products such as talc, body lotions, cosmetics like lipsticks and their kind, deodorants and perspirants all contain chemicals like phthalates, triclosan, parabens all of which are endocrine disrupting chemicals and have been linked with cancer.[4]
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Your Microwave oven--A microwave oven uses microwaves to heat and cook food. It is believed that long-term exposure to microwave radiation can trigger cancer. However, various studies also claim that the intensity of radiation emitted by microwave ovens is not high enough to cause cancer. But, there's no harm in resorting to using other methods of cooking.
