The Most Common Carcinogens To Know & Avoid

Radiation From Medical Imaging Tests

Radiation from certain medical imaging tests has proven in multiple studies to be a known carcinogen. The type of radiation used in x-rays, nuclear imaging, and CT scans is referred to as ionizing radiation. The highest concentrations of ionizing radiation are used in nuclear imaging. In nuclear imaging, a contrast agent is used to highlight the soft tissues in a patient's body on the CT scan or x-ray images so the provider can see the function and structure of the soft tissues. The radioactive substance used as a radioactive tracer may be elements such as technetium, gallium, xenon, thallium, and iodine.

The tissues in the body being studied absorb the element and give off radiation, which is detected by a special part of the machine called a gamma camera. After frequent scans over a long time, the radiation absorbed by the cells of the tissues and organs being scanned can cause alterations in the DNA of the cells. DNA mutations can set off the process of carcinogenesis, which causes cancer to develop in the tissues exposed to these radioactive substances repeatedly.

Drinking Water Contaminants

Several drinking water contaminants have been officially identified as carcinogens. There are currently ninety contaminants in drinking water that are regulated by the environmental protection agency. The maximum contaminant level is the largest amount of each contaminant permitted to be in public water systems. Arsenic is one of the most common and dangerous contaminants found in public water supply that is known to have cancerous effects on an individual's prostate, liver, nasal passages, lung, skin, kidney, and bladder. Radium is a contaminant found in public water sources that can cause carcinogenesis due to its radioactive properties.

Chloramine in public water sources causes the generation of byproducts called nitrosamines, which can trigger carcinogenesis. Uranium is a radioactive chemical that may be found in public water sources that expose tissues in the body to carcinogenic radiation. One water contaminate called dioxane can be found in the public water supply from industrial spills, wastewater plant discharge, and hazardous waste sites, and is known to cause respiratory, liver, and gallbladder cancers.