What is a carcinogen? Learn what causes carcinogens

Cancer is a terrible disease, which can be cured only at the earliest stages. Where does it come from? Scientists have already found dozens of reasons, and hundreds more have not been determined yet. Of the known for the most dangerous "culprit" of the disease is ionized radiation. X-ray, radiation, excessive tanning - its usual household sources. But even those who live far from nuclear power plants do not like to sunbathe and do not make X-rays, are not protected from cancer. It can be called up by many food products and materials containing a carcinogenic substance. Consider the most dangerous.

Carcinogens and mutagens

Modern people, especially residents of large industrial centers, live in a complex environment, the atmosphere, water and soil containing a lot of chemical compounds. Many of them are deadly, for example carcinogens. This is a group of chemical elements that provokes the growth of cancer cells. Another group of substances can cause changes at the DNA level, which leads to different mutations in the organs of living beings. Such carcinogens and mutagens with exhaust gases of cars, from drainage and gas pipes of enterprises, with smoke coming from incineration of garbage in garbage dumps come on Wednesday. They are in food, and in everyday items. In our technical age, we are unlikely to completely isolate ourselves from all harmful substances, but we can try to minimize contact with them.

Nitrates, nitrites, nitrosamines

The "terrible" word "nitrates" is familiar to almost everyone as a powerful carcinogen. However, they are indispensable in agriculture as fertilizers necessary for plants, especially for greenhouse vegetables. There are a lot of them there. Nitrates themselves are not so dangerous. Harm from them occurs because, having got to us in an organism, they turn to nitrosamines and nitrites. These are already very poisonous. Nitrites can also be self-contained in natural products and added to industrial, such as sausages, to give them a "meat" color. They are designated E250. Nitrites strongly affect hemoglobin, worsening its ability to deliver oxygen to cells and to remove carbon dioxide from them, which means they break respiratory processes. Nitrosamines cause the growth of cancer cells. Reduce the content of nitrates can be as follows:

- to withstand vegetables in water for a couple of hours;

- peel the skin;

- Blanch in hot water;

- salt, pickle.

Food additives and other dangerous products

When buying food, you must always study their composition. For example, the addition of E123, or amaranth, in the United States is recognized as a carcinogen and is banned in the food industry. Amaranth is a dye and is used not only in food products, but also in leather, textile, paper industries. In some countries, for example in England, it is not prohibited.

The second additive is E121, or citrus red. This yellow-orange powder is also recognized as a carcinogen. In Russia, its use is prohibited. Carcinogenic substances include a special kind of mold fungi producing aflatoxins. They are recognized as "leaders" in terms of carcinogenicity, which mainly cause liver cancer. They live on moldy products, especially on peanut grains, pumpkin seeds, in stale tea. They are also found in the milk of animals that feed on "sick" food. It should be borne in mind that these mushrooms do not kill heat. Another dangerous substance that we often encounter is peroxides. They are present in rancid fats (for example, in butter), in repeatedly used for frying vegetable oils.

Benzapyrene

These carcinogens cause cancer in animals and humans, and are also known as strong mutagens. They are dangerous even in small doses. They have one bad ability to accumulate in the body, in water, in anything, and also move from one object to another without any damage for themselves. As a result, many environmental objects that were "clean" are also becoming dangerous. The benzapyrene can enter the body with breathing and food (the norm is 1 μg per kg of product for adults and 0.2 μg for children and nursing). Its sources are:

- smoke of cigarettes (each one is 0.09 mg / kg);

- emissions of vehicles;

- smoke from burning fuel;

- cereals;

- fats;

- food oils;

- smoked fish;

- black chocolate (from 0.08 to 0.6 μg / kg);

- coffee;

- strongly fried meat (grilled meat).

Carcinogens in the atmosphere

In the air surrounding us, many of the substances that adversely affect a person are contained. Benzene is one of the most famous. It is present in gasoline, used for the production of plastics, rubber, drugs, dyes. The inhalation of its vapors causes poisoning and can lead to leukemia. Dioxins are not as well known, but even more dangerous. These carcinogens cause disturbance of embryo development, suppression of immunity (chemical AIDS), cancer and gene mutations. To get into the body can with food, air, through the skin, with breast milk and through the placenta. Some very harmful substances are released into the air when burning garbage, coal, food waste, when smoking, with exhaust fumes. Benzatracene is one of them. This carcinogen is especially abundant in industrial areas, where the factory pipes smoke around the clock. It penetrates into the body not only with breathing, but also through the skin and is capable of causing cancer of the liver, lungs, digestive tract. The products of its oxidation are 100 times more carcinogenic than benzene.

Dangerous objects of everyday life

In everyday life, we are also surrounded by mutagenic and carcinogenic substances. Many people are well aware of formaldehyde. It has antiseptic properties, therefore it is used in medicine (for example, the drug "Formagel") and cosmetology in the composition of some antiperspirants and oral hygiene means. In the food industry, formaldehyde is used to increase the shelf life of products and is called the E240. Formalin (a solution of formaldehyde) in large quantities can cause poisoning, and a dose of 60 g is considered fatal. Its carcinogenicity for animals is absolutely proven. The effect on the person is being specified.

The second common carcinogen is vinyl chloride. It is used for the production of vinyl, from which do all known vinyl wallpaper, linoleum and a bunch of other useful and necessary things. Harm from them for health is still being clarified, although it is for certain that vinyl wallpaper contributes to the formation of fungus on the walls. But especially harmful materials from vinyl with heating and burning, because then in the air are allocated the above dioxins.

And, finally, asbestos. Its variety of chrysotile is used in the production of pipes, plates, heat insulators, roofing, wall panels, bricks, mastics and much more. The carcinogenicity of asbestos for humans has been fully proved, and therefore in many countries its use is prohibited.