Attention! The latest version of the carcinogen report adds 8 common substances (including a detailed list)

Written by: Zhu Hengheng

Editor: Wang Haha

Layout: Li Xuewei

Recently, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released the latest version of the 15th edition of the Carcinogen Report, adding 8 new compounds. After this update, a total of 256 substances were listed as clear or reasonably suspected carcinogens.

In the latest report, chronic infection with Helicobacter pylori was listed as a definite human carcinogen, while six halogenated acetic acid (HAA) substances used as flame retardants and tap water disinfection were listed as reasonably suspected human carcinogens.

(Source: ntp)

In this regard, Dr. Rick Woychik, Director of the National Institute of Toxicology under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said, "Cancer directly or indirectly affects the lives of almost everyone, and the identification of carcinogens is the basis for preventing cancer. The release of this report represents an important measure taken by the government to improve public health."

Global cancer trends

At the beginning of 2021, the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) released the latest global cancer burden data for 2020, which counted the latest incidence, mortality, and cancer development trends of 36 types of cancer in 185 countries around the world.

Data show that in 2020, there were 19.29 million new cases of cancer worldwide, including 10.06 million males and 9.23 million females; in 2020, there were 9.96 million cancer deaths worldwide, including 5.53 million males and 4.43 million females.

There are 2.26 million new cases of breast cancer worldwide, exceeding the 2.2 million cases of lung cancer. Breast cancer has replaced lung cancer to become the world's number one cancer.

(Source: Pixabay)

One of the most obvious changes in the latest global cancer burden data in 2020 is the rapid growth in the number of new cases of breast cancer, which has replaced lung cancer as the world's number one cancer. The increase in the number of breast cancer cases is one of the root causes of the continuous changes in breast cancer risk factors, such as delayed childbirth and reduced number of births. This is most obvious in countries undergoing social and economic transformation. Overweight and obesity, as well as lack of exercise, are also reasons for the increase in breast cancer incidence worldwide.

Globally, due to the aging of the population, the cancer burden is expected to increase by 50% in 2040 compared to 2020, and the number of new cancer cases will reach nearly 30 million by then. The situation is very serious.

As a country with a high cancer rate, China's cancer situation in 2020 is not optimistic. Statistics show that in 2020, China had 4.57 million new cancer cases, accounting for 23.7% of the world's total. The number of new cancer cases far exceeded that of other countries in the world, ranking first in the world, more than twice that of the second-ranked United States (2.28 million new cases in the United States in 2020).

Similarly, in 2020, there were 9.96 million cancer deaths worldwide, of which 3 million were in China, accounting for 30% of the total cancer deaths. The number of cancer deaths ranked first in the world, more than three times that of the second-ranked India (850,000 in India).

The increase in the global cancer burden is consistent with the fact that many countries are experiencing a significant increase in the prevalence of known cancer risk factors, which are now prevalent in high-income industrialized countries, including smoking, unhealthy diet, obesity, and lack of exercise. Therefore, in order to better prevent cancer, we need to identify carcinogenic factors and curb cancer occurrence at the source.

Fighting cancer

Half a century ago, on December 23, 1971, US President Nixon signed the National Cancer Act in the White House. Since then, many pharmaceutical companies, researchers, clinicians and patients around the world have devoted themselves to cancer research, creating a milestone for humans to better understand cancer and fight against it.

On December 23, 2021, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the National Cancer Act, the National Institute of Toxicology of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released the 15th edition of the Carcinogen Report.

This carcinogen report aims to identify environmental factors that cause cancer in humans, including chemicals, infectious pathogens, physical factors, and scene exposures. The report does not involve cancer risk statistics because many factors affect whether a person gets cancer, including the carcinogenicity of carcinogens, exposure levels, exposure time, and personal sensitivity to carcinogens.

(Source: Pixabay)

This report adds 8 new carcinogens compared to the 14th edition.

First, chronic infection with Helicobacter pylori is listed as a clear human carcinogen. Helicobacter pylori is a spiral-shaped, micro-anaerobic bacterium that has very demanding growth conditions. It was first successfully isolated from gastric mucosal biopsy tissue of patients with chronic active gastritis in 1983 and is currently the only known microorganism that can survive in the human stomach.

In recent years, a series of studies have shown that Helicobacter pylori infection significantly increases the risk of gastric cancer, and people have found multiple mechanisms by which Helicobacter pylori induces gastric cancer. Therefore, as early as October 27, 2017, the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer published a preliminary list of carcinogens for reference, and Helicobacter pylori (infection) was included in the list of Class 1 carcinogens.

Since the 14th edition of the carcinogen report was published earlier and the evidence was not sufficient, it was not included. However, it is obviously necessary to include Helicobacter pylori in this update.

Secondly, antimony trioxide is listed as a reasonably suspected carcinogen. Antimony trioxide is an inorganic compound that is widely used in plastics, textiles and other chemical products as a flame retardant. Workers who manufacture antimony trioxide may be exposed to the substance for a long time at work, and the substance may also be released in low-quality furniture or carpets. Long-term exposure may induce cancer.

Finally, here are 6 types of halogenated acetic acid byproducts after tap water disinfection. As we all know, a large amount of chlorine-based disinfectants are required in the production process of tap water, which may react with some compounds in the water to produce halogenated acetic acid, which has teratogenic and carcinogenic side effects.

There are 6 new halogenated acetic acids added in this report, namely bromochloroacetic acid (BCA), bromodichloroacetic acid (BDCA), chlorodibromoacetic acid (CDBA), dibromoacetic acid (DBA), dichloroacetic acid (DCA), and tribromoacetic acid (TBA).

In recent years, the advancement of tap water disinfection technology and filtration technology can significantly reduce the content of halogenated acetic acid in water. Various countries also have standards to limit the content of halogenated acetic acid in tap water. Therefore, we can use tap water with confidence. However, various disinfectants and sterilization cleaners in daily life also contain some chlorine-based disinfectants. Everyone should try to take protective measures during use.

In general, cancer has become one of the main causes of threat to human life. The following is a complete list of carcinogens issued by the National Institute of Toxicology under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I hope it can arouse everyone's vigilance! Do a good job in cancer prevention!

① Identify human carcinogens

Aflatoxins

Alcoholic Beverages

4-Aminobiphenyl

Analgesic mixture containing phenacetin

Aristolochic acid

Arsenic and inorganic arsenic compounds

asbestos

Azathioprine

benzene

Benzidine

Beryllium and beryllium compounds

Bis(chloromethyl)ether and technical grade chloromethyl methyl ether

1,3-Butadiene

1,4-Butanediol dimethanesulfonate

Cadmium and cadmium compounds

Chloramphenicol

1-(2-Chloroethyl)-3-(4-methylcyclohexyl)-1-nitrosourea

Hexavalent chromium compounds

Coal tar and coal tar pitch

Coke oven emissions

Cyclophosphamide

Cyclosporine A

Diethylstilbestrol

Benzidine dyes

Epstein-Barr virus

Erionite

Estrogen, steroids

Ethylene oxide

formaldehyde

Helicobacter pylori

Hepatitis B virus

Hepatitis C virus

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1

Human papillomavirus

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1

Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpes virus

Melphalan

Merkel cell polyomavirus

Methoxsalen and UVA therapy

Mineral oil: untreated and lightly treated

Mustard gas

2-Naphthylamine

neutron

Nickel compounds

radon

Silicon dioxide, crystalline (respirable size)

Solar radiation

Fumes

Strong inorganic acid mist containing sulfuric acid

Sun lamps or tanning beds

Tamoxifen

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin

Thioteba

Thorium Dioxide

Tobacco smoke, environment

Smoking

Smokeless tobacco

o-Toluidine

Trichloroethylene

UV radiation, broad spectrum

Vinyl chloride

Sawdust

X-radiation and gamma radiation

② Reasonably suspected human carcinogens

Acetaldehyde

2-Acetylaminofluorene

Acrylamide

Acrylonitrile

Adriamycin

2-Aminoanthraquinone

o-Aminoazotoluene

1-Amino-2,4-dibromoanthraquinone

2-Amino-3,4-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline

2-Amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline

1-Amino-2-methylanthraquinone

2-Amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline

2-Amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazole[4,5-b]pyridine

Amitraline

o-Anisidine and its hydrochloride

Antimony trioxide

Azacitidine

Basic Red 9 Hydrochloride

Benzene[a]anthracene

Benzo[b]fluoranthene

Benzo[j]fluoranthene

Benzo[k]fluoranthene

Benzo[a]pyrene

Benzene trichloride

2,2-Bis(bromomethyl)-1,3-propanediol (industrial grade)

Bis(chloroethyl)nitrosourea

Bromochloroacetic acid

Bromodichloroacetic acid

Bromodichloromethane

1-Bromopropane

Butylated Hydroxyanisole

Catafu

Carbon tetrachloride

Ceramic fiber dust

Chloramphenicol

Chlorendic acid

Chlorinated paraffin (C12, 60% chlorine)

Chlorodibromoacetic acid

1-(2-Chloroethyl)-3-cyclohexyl-1-nitrosourea

Chloroform

3-Chloro-2-methylpropene

4-Chloro-o-phenylenediamine

Chloroprene

p-Chloro-o-toluidine and its hydrochloride

Chlorozotocin

Cisplatin

Cobalt and cobalt compounds that release cobalt ions in vivo

Cobalt-Tungsten Carbide: Powder and Hard Metal

Hydroquinone

Cumene

Copper Iron Dragon

Dacarbazine

Dansilon

2,4-Diaminoanisole sulfate

2,4-Diaminotoluene

Diazoaminobenzene

Dibenzo[a,h]acridine

Dibenzo[a,j]acridine

dibenzo[a,h]anthracene

7H-Dibenzo[c,g]carbazole

Dibenzo[a,e]pyrene

Dibenzo[a,h]pyrene

Dibenzo[a,i]pyrene

Dibenzo[a,l]pyrene

Dibromoacetic acid

1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane

1,2-Dibromoethane

2,3-Dibromo-1-propanol

Dichloroacetic acid

1,4-Dichlorobenzene

3,3'-Dichlorobenzidine and its dihydrochloride

Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane

1,2-Dichloroethane

Dichloromethane

1,3-Dichloropropylene (industrial grade)

Dibutylene oxide

Diesel Exhaust Particles

Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate

Diethyl sulfate

Diglycidylresorcinol ether

3,3'-Dimethoxybenzidine

4-Dimethylaminoazobenzene

3,3'-Dimethylbenzidine

Dimethylcarbamoyl chloride

1,1-Dimethylhydrazine

Dimethyl sulfate

Dimethylvinyl chloride

1,6-Dinitropyrene

1,8-Dinitropyrene

1,4-Dioxane

Disperse Blue 1

3,3'-Dimethoxybenzidine dyes

3,3'-Dimethylbenzidine dyes

Epichlorohydrin

Ethylthiourea

Ethyl methanesulfonate

Furan

Glass wool dust

Glycidol

Hexachlorobenzene

Hexachloroethane

Hexamethylphosphoramide

Hydrazine and hydrazine sulfate

Azobenzene

Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene

Iron Dextran Complex

Isoprene

Kepone

Lead and lead compounds

Lindane, hexachlorocyclohexane (technical grade) and other hexachlorocyclohexane isomers

2-Methylaziridine

5-Methylchrysene

4,4'-Methylenebis(2-chloroaniline)

4,4'-Methylenebis(N,N-dimethyl)aniline

4,4'-Methylenedianiline and its dihydrochloride

Methyl eugenol

Methyl methanesulfonate

N-Methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine

Metronidazole

Mickle ketone

Mirex

Naphthalene

Nickel Metal

Nitrilotriacetic acid

o-Nitroanisole

Nitrobenzene

6-Nitropropene

Nitrobenzene

Nitrogen mustard hydrochloride

Nitromethane

2-Nitropropane

1-Nitropyrene

4-Nitropyrene

N-Nitrosodibutylamine

N-Nitrosodiethanolamine

N-Nitrosodiethylamine

N-Nitrosodimethylamine

N-Nitrosodi-n-propylamine

N-Nitroso-N-ethylurea

4-(N-nitrosomethylamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone

N-Nitroso-N-methylurea

N-Nitrosomethylvinylamine

N-Nitrosomorpholine

N-Nitrosonicotine

N-Nitrosopiperidine

N-Nitrosopyrrolidine

N-Nitrososarcosine

o-Nitrotoluene

Norethindrone

Ochratoxin A

4,4'-Oxydianiline

Oxymetholone

Pentachlorophenol and its synthetic by-products

Phenacetin

Phenazopyridine hydrochloride

Phenolphthalein

Phenoxybenzamine hydrochloride

Phenytoin and phenytoin sodium

Polybrominated biphenyls

PCBs

Procarbazine and its hydrochloride

Progesterone

1,3-Propane sultone

β-Propiolactone

Propylene oxide

Propylthiouracil

Reserpine

riddle

Safrole

Selenium sulfide

Streptozotocin

Styrene

Styrene-7,8-oxide

Sulfate

Tetrachloroethylene

Tetrafluoroethylene

Tetranitromethane

Thioacetamide

4,4'-Thiodiphenylamine

Thiourea

Toluene diisocyanate

Toxaphene

Tribromoacetic acid

2,4,6-Trichlorophenol

1,2,3-Trichloropropane

Tris(2,3-dibromopropyl) phosphate

Ultraviolet radiation A

Ultraviolet radiation B

Ultraviolet radiation C

Ethyl carbamate

Vinyl bromide

4-vinyl-1-cyclohexene diepoxide

Vinyl fluoride

References:
https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/whatwestudy/assessments/cancer/roc/index.html

Source: Academic Headlines