These things may cause cancer, too
The National Institutes of Health has added these eight substances to its lists of known and suspected carcinogens, making the total 240:
|Carcinogen||What it is||Where it is found||What it may cause*|
|Aristolochic acids||A naturally occurring plant acid||In some botanical products and as a contaminant in some herbal products||Bladder and upper urinary tract cancer|
|Formaldehyde||Industrial chemical, laboratory preservative||Household products such as composite wood, papers, plastics, synthetic fibers||Throat, sinus and nasal cancer; myeloid leukemia|
|REASONABLY ANTICIPATED TO BE HUMAN CARCINOGENS|
|Captafol||A fungicide used on plants||Not here; it was banned in the United States in 1999||Tumors in several places in mice and rats|
|Cobalt-tungsten carbide||Metal composite to make cutting and grinding tools and dies||Primarily found in manufacturing||Lung cancer in humans who work with it|
|Some inhalable glass wool fibers||Specific fibers that remain in the lungs for a long time||Insulation is most common use, although fibers in most types of insulation appear less likely to cause cancer||Lung cancer in animals|
|o-Nitrotoluene||Organic compound for preparing dyes and chemicals||Manufacturing settings where it is used or produced. Workers exposed through skin or by inhaling it||Tumors in many tissues in rats and mice|
|Riddelliine||A botanical found in Senecio plants in the daisy family||Some herbal medicines||Cancer of blood vessels, liver, leukemia, and lung tumors in animals|
|Styrene||Synthetic chemical used in rubber, fiberglass, plastic and more||Cigarette smoke and indoor air that has styrene vapors from building materials||Lymphohematopoietic cancer; genetic damage to white blood cells|
*In humans unless noted
SOURCES: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Toxicology Program.
GRAPHIC: Bonnie Berkowitz and Laura Stanton - The Washington Post. Published June 11, 2011.