The Cancer Prevention Coalition today advises that the
American Cancer Society (ACS) 2011 report “Cancer Facts & Figures”
ignores well-documented scientific evidence on the industrial and
environmental causes of a wide range of cancers.
The ACS report
lists 13 “Selected (Adult) Cancers,” and summarizes their known “risk
factors,” or causes. Overwhelmingly, these are
attributed to longevity,
obesity, alcohol, smoking, and family history.
“However, and
criminally,” observes Samuel S. Epstein, M.D., Chairman of the Cancer
Prevention Coalition, “the ACS makes no reference to the wide range of
involuntary and avoidable exposures to industrial carcinogens in air,
water, food, and the workplace.”
“The ACS also ignores well-documented
scientific evidence on the known industrial and environmental causes of the
very wide range of cancers,” says Dr. Epstein. “However, such evidence has
been fully documented since 1972 in about 100 reports on individual and
groups of carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on
Cancer.”
Dr. Epstein cites the 2008-2009 Annual Report of the
President’s Cancer Panel, released in April 2010, includes a “Summary
of
Environmental and Occupational Links with Cancer.” This
report documents “strong” evidence on cancer risks from exposures to
15
individual or groups of carcinogens, such as talc powder,
ethylene oxide, and dioxane. The report also documents “suspected”
evidence from exposure to the larger range of risks from exposure to about
40
other individual or groups of carcinogens.
“Worse still, that
threat of cancer begins even before a birth,” warns Dr. Epstein. “Once a
pregnant woman absorbs ingredients from
the cosmetics and personal care
products that she uses, they penetrate through her skin to varying degrees.
They then reach the fetus through the approximately 300 quarts of blood
pumped daily between the placenta and fetus. Studies on umbilical and blood
cord samples have also identified other ingredients, such as triclosan,
which are commonly added to deodorants, toothpaste, and
cosmetics.”
“Not surprisingly,” says Dr. Epstein, “the overall
incidence of childhood cancers has increased by about 40 percent over the
past
three decades? Could it have anything to do with the cancer
causing(carcinogenic) ingredients in personal care products targeting
infants and children which have crowded supermarket and other store
shelves over the same period?”
In fact, babies are about 100 times
more sensitive to carcinogens than are adults, Dr. Epstein points out,
explaining that infants and young children have immature liver enzymes,
which give them only limited ability to detoxify the carcinogens besides
other toxic ingredients in products which are applied to their
skin.
“Added to that is the fact that the ingredients in the products
that mothers apply to the skin of their infants and children are
readily
absorbed into their blood and bodies. So, there is every reason why
we should be highly cautious about the products that we buy for
our infants and children, let alone ourselves,” warns Dr.
Epstein.
Also, as infants’ and children’s cells divide much more
rapidly than those of adults, they are much more sensitive to carcinogens,
and
much more vulnerable to developing cancer later in their lives.
No wonder that the overall incidence of childhood cancers since 1975
has increased by 34%, while the incidence of kidney cancer and
acute lymphocytic leukemia has increased by about 60%.
“Most of us
would like to believe that any products, especially those marketed for
infants and children, must be safe as otherwise
they would never be sold,”
Dr. Epstein says. “Surely, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the
responsible agency of government,
let alone the industry concerned, must be
looking out for the health of our most vulnerable citizens. Right?
Wrong!”
