Everyday household items behind rising cancer cases
World Cancer Day is observed on February 4 each year. The theme this year is Close the Care Gap
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New Delhi: Everyday items used in households such as plastic bottles, tea bags; beauty products, and e-cigarettes and hookahs are contributing to the escalating danger of cancer, warned health experts on World Cancer Day on Sunday.
World Cancer Day is observed on February 4 each year. The theme this year is ‘Close the Care Gap'.
Earlier this week, the World Health Organization's cancer agency, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), in a stark warning said that new cancer diagnosis is projected to skyrocket by 77 per cent by 2050, reaching over 35 million cases annually.
The agency attributed the alarming to a combination of lifestyle and environmental factors, with tobacco, alcohol, obesity, and air pollution identified as the key culprits.
According to Dr J B Sharma, Senior Consultant in Medical Oncology at Action Cancer Hospital, several commonly used items at home are potentially increasing the risk of cancer.
"Plastic bottles used for drinking water may contain microplastics, and the habit of drinking hot tea from plastic bags or using white-coloured mayonnaise in food items can introduce harmful chemicals, such as epichlorohydrin, into the body, raising the likelihood of cancer," he told. Moreover, modern technologies, while making life easier, pose risks.
Using plastic utensils in ovens or consuming food cooked in non-stick cookware can expose individuals to harmful chemicals like endocrine-disrupting agents, potentially leading to cancer.
