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SPECIAL FEATUREFood ContaminationNot only the environment but alsoour food may be contaminated. Evennatural foods can be infected withnatural molds that can produce toxinssuch as aflatoxins. Residual pesticidescan also be a problem.In Africa and Asia fungal growthand aflatoxin production are recogternsof consumption suggestincreases in less developed countrieswith a decrease in more developedcountries. The actual carcinogeniceffect of habitual drinking, however, islikely underestimated.Alcohol is estimated to be involvedin causing 3 percent of all cancers (4percent in men and 2 percent in7.6millionpeople worldwidedied from cancer in2008, compared tomillion in 2003.6women). Of course, apart from its carcinogeniceffects, alcohol is associatedwith a plethora of other problems.Occupational ExposureSome industries expose workers toa variety of chemicals. The first casesof occupational cancer were identifiedin the eighteenth century amongchimney sweeps, who developed scrotalcancer. 4 Currently there are about25 chemicals, or groups of chemicals,for which occupational exposure hasbeen established as carcinogenic risk.In developed countries most suchrisks have been eliminated, especiallyfor asbestos, crystalline silica, andheavy metals, but there are hazardousmaterials that are probably carcinogensthat bring the total to nearly 50potentially carcinogenic chemicals.Awareness of such dangers is helpfulin assuring vigilance and regulation ofindustries.Some agents occur in the generalenvironment, such as chronic hepatitisB and C viruses, aflatoxins, radon,and solar radiation. Diesel exhaust hasbeen implicated in lung and bladdercancer.Environmental PollutionThe environment, with its pollutedsoil, water, and air, is responsible forup to 4 percent of all cancers. 5 The“environment” that we create withsmoking, drinking alcohol, dietaryfactors, lack of exercise, and excessivesun exposure may be implicated inthe majority of human cancers. 6Unavoidable nonoccupationaltoxic substances to which we areenvironmentally exposed include thefollowing:■ Asbestos, one of the best-documentedcauses of cancer, specificallymesothelioma. Asbestos dust maycontaminate not only the workplacebut the homes of asbestos workerswhen transported on their clothes.■ Air pollution, which includesindustrial work materials, not theleast of which are vehicular emissions.These emissions may contain suchproducts as benzene, toluene,xylenes, and acetylene—all knowncarcinogens. Urban populationshave a higher risk than ruralpopulations. Very high lungcancer rates have beennoted in nonindustrialworkers living at home.Studies show that nonsmokingChinese women,for example, are exposedto indoor air pollutionfrom their cooking andheating practices. Vaporsfrom hot oil may contributeto such cancers, along withthe smoke of their heatingsource and fuel. 7■ Water pollution, which can becombated with chlorination to reducebacterial and viral problems. Thechlorinating process, however, mayproduce harmful chlorination byproducts.Studies suggest a causal relationshipbetween chlorinated waterand bladder cancers. 8Contaminated water is a source ofarsenic exposure, which links to skincancer, lung cancer, and cancer ofother organs. High arsenic levels havebeen found in drinking water in severalareas of Argentina, Bangladesh,Chile, India, Mexico, Mongolia,Taiwan, Alaska, and other parts of theUnited States. 9Number of cancer casesper 100,000 men in 2008:356.8337.4334303.5Australia/New ZealandWestern EuropeUnited StatesNorthern Europe12 Adventist World | December 2012
nized problems. Animals consumingsuch foodstuffs, in turn, become problematic.When such contaminants areantibiotics, hormonal growth promoters,pesticides, and heavy metals, theymay be concentrated in the meat,milk, or eggs.Organochlorines, such as DDT,have been associated with increasedrisk of pancreatic and breast cancers,lymphoma, and leukemia. Attempts tocorrelate polychlorinated biphenyls(PCBs) with breast cancer have provedconclusive. 10Infection Agents and CancerEllen White spoke of cancerouseffects of flesh foods in unpublishedtestimonies in 1896. In 1905 she spokeof flesh that was “filled with tuberculosisand cancerous germs.” 11 It was notuntil Peyton Rous in 1911 published“Transmission of Malignant NewGrowth by Means of a Cell-free Filtrate”that an infection link to cancerwas first documented in scientific literature.12 Only in the 1980s didadvances in molecular biology permitthe detection of very small quantitiesof an infectious agent in biologicalspecimens. Since then at least eightdifferent viruses, four parasites, andone bacterium have been causallylinked to cancer.Hepatitis B and C and the humanpapilloma viruses are transmitted bysexual means and blood contamination.The Epstein-Barr virus is alsotransmitted by human-to-humancontact, as is HIV infection. Thehuman T-cell lymphotropic viruscauses lymphoma/leukemia, and issimilarly transmitted by human-tohumancontact.Human herpes virus 8 (HHV-8)has been associated with Kaposi’s sarcoma.Helicobacter pylori are associatedwith stomach cancer. Parasites ofthe liver fluke families, acquired byeating raw or undercooked fish, havebeen associated with liver cancer. Asyet there is no evidence of animalviruses causing human cancer, but theconcept of a cancer germ was dismissedin medical literature until thepast few decades.Diet and NutritionIt’s been estimated that some 30 percentof human cancers are related todiet and nutrition. The incidence ofvarious cancers differs by worldregion. There are many potentialcauses of such variation, but cancersof the breast, colorectum, prostate,endometrium, ovary, and lung aregenerally more common in developedcountries. Cancer of the digestivetract is more frequent in developingcountries.The most consistent finding is theassociation of reduced risk of variouscancers with the eating of fruits andvegetables. The Adventist Health Studiessupport these findings, particularlyshowing that meat eaters experience athreefold to fourfold increased risk forcolon cancers. There is a consistentassociation between red meat (pork,beef, and lamb) and processed meat,with increased risks being noted inmany studies.Simple sugar (mono- and disaccharides)may be associated withincreased colorectal cancer. Thehigher carbohydrate content of avegetarian diet, with its complex carbohydrates,appears to offer a protectiveeffect.Fat has been the focus of mosthypotheses about dietary factorsand cancer. Studies on ratios of polyunsaturatedand monounsaturatedfats have, as yet, not yielded clear data,although olive oil is associated withreduced risk.30 %of cancers are related todietandnutrition.A Gift From GodThe Adventist health message ofhealthful eating, exercise, fresh air, rest,and trust in God is a gift to us from ourloving, merciful Creator to help us tolive full, healthy lives while we await Hissoon return. Let’s thank and praise Himfor this bountiful gift. ■1World Health Organization, World Cancer Report 2008, www.iarc.fr/en/publications/pdfs-online/wcr/2008/.2International Journal of Cancer 127, no. 12 (Dec. 15, 2010):2893-2917.3World Health Organization, World Cancer Report 2003, pp.22-28.4P. Pott, ed. Chirurgical Observations (London: Hawes, Clark,and Collins, 1775).5Harvard Report on Cancer Prevention. Volume 1: Cancer Causesand Control 7 (suppl.): 53-59.6L. Tomatis, A. Aitio, N. E. Day, E. Heseltine, J. Kaldor, A. B.Miller, D. M. Parkin, E. Riboli, eds., Cancer: Causes, Occurrence,and Control, IARC Scientific Publication, no. 100 (Lyon: IARCPress, 1990).7“Carcinogens in Food: Priorities for Regulatory Action,”Human Experimental Toxicology 15:739-746.8“Chlorination, Chlorination By-products, and Cancer: AMeta-analysis,” American Journal of Public Health 82:955-963;Drinking Water and Cancer. Cancer Causes and Control 8:292-308.9Ibid.10Relevance to Human Cancer of N-Nitroso Compounds, TobaccoSmoke, and Mycotoxins, IARC Scientific Publications, no. 105(Lyon: IARC Press, 1991).11Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing (Mountain View,Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1905), p. 313.12Peyton Rous, in Journal of the American Medical Association56 (1911): 198.Allan R. Handysides, aboard-certified gynecologist,is director ofthe General ConferenceHealth Ministries Department.December 2012 | Adventist World 13
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