My colleague Kelly Brewington has a thoughtful piece in the Baltimore Sun today on the dilemma people face, especially parents, in sorting through the confusing information and advice about the health hazards posed by the many chemicals used to make a panoply of consumer products.
The President's Cancer Panel recently issued a 240-page report warning that "the true burden of environmentally induced cancers has been grossly underestimated" and urging steps be taken to reduce people's broad exposure to carcinogens.
The panel's assertion has been disputed by the American Cancer Society, which argues that lifestyle factors like smoking and diet are the main causes of cancer, and environmental exposures are involved in only a small share of cases.
It's hard to know what to do when even health experts can't agree. But as Kelly's story points out, some suggest people can and should look for all ways to reduce cancer, stopping or shying away from smoking, eating right and avoiding products with toxic or potentially toxic ingredients. It can be overwhelming, though, when you consider all the things that are or might be hazardous.
I felt that way recently after skimming through National Geographic's Green Guide Families, an encyclopedic 400-page rundown on virtually everything about which concerns have been raised, from cell phones to vaccines. Not one thing did they advise you not to worry about, it seemed, no matter how thin or discounted the evidence of potential harm. I finished wishing the authors or someone could provide the average person a little triage, at least a ranking of what to avoid or worry about most to least.
On some things, though, many on both sides of the environment/lifestyle cancer debate seem to agree. More study is needed of toxic substances, and government oversight needs to be tightened to assure the safety of what's in the products we all consume, young and old. Meanwhile, they suggest at least a little prudent avoidance.
What products do you avoid and why? Please share if you have any tips for parents ore the rest of us about how to navigate the confusing and conflicting advice about what causes cancer and how to prevent it.
(Baltimore Sun photo by Amy Davis)