5 Common IARC Group 2a Carcinogens Lurking in Your Home

Carcinogens abound!  Alas, they are as common in our food and homes as the stars in the sky and the sands on the beach.  In the previous article on Common IARC Group 1 carcinogens, we covered substances that the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) classifies as undeniable, known cancer-causes.  {Click Here to read that article.}.  Today, we will cover the most prominent IARC Group 2a carcinogens.  These substances, as defined by the W.H.O.’s cancer research institute, are items that are “likely carcinogenic.”  In other words sufficient evidence shows that these items are likely carcinogenic in both animals and humans, but not as definitive and unequivocal as Group 1 agents.

List of Prominent IARC Group 2a Carcinogens

Acrylamide

Acrylamide is a chemical that is produced when starchy foods are heated to very high temperatures.  Numerous studies show that fried foods, corn chips, cereals, and other foods are notoriously high in acrylamide.  Click here for the FDA’s exhaustive list of acrylamide-laden items.  

Takeaway:  It would behoove all of us to avoid these foods to the best of our abilities.  Review the FDA list above and choose foods that are acrylamide-low and limit fried foods in general.

Anabolic Steroids

These are the classic “steroids” that professional athletes and gym rats use to increase muscle mass.  Aside from being probably carcinogenic they are linked to cardiovascular maladies, mental health disorders, sexual dysfunction, among other things.

Takeaway: Don’t take external sources of androgens or testosterone.  Nowadays, there are numerous ways to gain muscle mass in a natural way.  Moreover, plenty of biohacks exist for naturally increasing the amount of free testosterone in the body (e.g. intermittent fasting, heavy lifting, eating healthy fats and leafy greens, reduce stress, etc).

Glyphosate

Glyphosate is at the active ingredient found in herbicides, like Roundup which is produced by the universally-hated Monsanto Corporation.   (Click on Monsanto to read a damning article on their history.)  Environmentalist for some time have been trying to get glyphosate off the market due to its deleterious effect on the endocrine system as well as its harmful effects on the crops on which it is sprayed, the nearby ecosystem, and its intrusion into non-GMO crops.  Recently, California announced that glyphosate will be included in its Prop 65 list of known carcinogens.  (Explained below.)

Takeaway: Avoid Roundup and other herbicides at all costs!

Red Meat

Another one recently in the news, it was a long-known fact that processed red meats (e.g. deli meats, hot dogs, sausages), especially those laden with sodium nitrate, were linked to numerous cancers, most notably colorectal cancer.  In 2016, the IARC reported that consuming more than 100 grams of red meat once a day increased one’s chances of stomach, breast, pancreatic and colorectal cancer by 15%.   (Click here to see study.) Red meat also increases likelihood of cardiovascular maladies as well.

Takeaway: Red Meat is a great source of good saturated fat, iron, and complete proteins (among other things).  That being said, eat red meat sparingly (2-3x a week) and ideally, purchase free-range or organic varieties to avoid the host of additives given to cattle.  (Read Guide to Meat.).

Lastly, when cooking meat prepare it “rare” to “medium rare.”  Overcooking any form of meat emits heterocyclic amines (HCA) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) both of which are carcinogenic.  In fact, a National Institute of Health (NIH) study showed that those who eat overcooked meat more than 3 times a week had 3x the risk of developing stomach cancer.  

Insecticides

Insecticides have been around over a century.  Not surprisingly, if they can kill bugs then can do damage to our own bodies.  Early insecticides boasted lead and mercury but those were replaced when DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) was shown to be effective in killing mosquitos, saving the lives of millions from malaria.  Later DDT was banned, but the large majority of today’s insecticides boast lindane (or various hexachlorocyclohexane compounds) that are highly toxic to the body.

Takeaway: Stay clear of store-bought insecticides.  If you must use one, wear a mask, and inspect the back for Prop 65 cancer warnings.  Better yet, use DIY natural insecticides that feature essential oils (e.g. sweet orange) or herbs.

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Read the labels of all products, especially any sort of cleaner or sprays.  California passed Prop 65 a few decades ago requiring manufacturers to state on the product any possible pernicious solutions/agents/chemicals that product may contain.  Since most products are sold throughout the entire country, they keep this warning on the label to the boon of us all.

This helps quite a bit, but there are so many chemicals in our food and household products that unless you are a chemist or spend the time researching each ingredient on the Internet, you are a boat at sea without an oar.    It may be difficult to devote this time to research, but we must do what we can to shed light on these toxins.  Hopefully these articles, and other like it, will be a lighthouse to your wayward sea vessel.

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A. Gregory Luna

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