Twenty Suspected Carcinogens
The American Cancer Society is calling for new research to settle the issue of whether or not twenty different agents do indeed cause the types of cancer in which they've been implicated. The twenty are:
(1) Lead and lead compounds; (2) indium phosphide (used in many flat screen TVs); (3) cobalt with tungsten carbide; titanium dioxide; (4) welding fumes; (5) refractory ceramic fibers; (6) diesel exhaust; (7) carbon black; (8) styrene oxide and styrene; (9) propylene oxide; (10) formaldehyde (does it cause leukemia?); (11) acetaldehyde; (12) formaldehyde; (13) methylene chloride; (14) trichloroethylene; (15) tetrachloroethylene; (16) chloroform; (17) PCBs; (18) DEHP (a phthalate); (19) atrazine (a herbicide and the subject of a coordinated attack by various activists groups resulting in a new EPA review); and, (20) shift work (the presumed exposure being "light at night" leading to a disruption of circadian rhythms and the most commonly associated malignancy being breast cancer).
You can find the press release here: Report Outlines Knowledge Gaps for 20 Suspected Carcinogens; and you can find the IARC report summarizing past rationale for assigning these suspected carcinogens to groups 2A - 3, the new evidence forming the basis for the recommendation that the status be updated and the sorts of epidemiological and mechanistic studies necessary to answer the question of whether they ought to be added to the list of 107 Group 1 agents known to be carcinogenic to humans, here: Identification of Research Needs to Resolve the Carcinogenicity of High-Priority IARC Carcinogens.
