Washington: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has added eight substances to its list of chemicals and biological agents that may put people at increased risk for cancer.
Their report identifies agents, substances, mixtures, or exposures in two categories: known to be a human carcinogen and reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.
The industrial chemical formaldehyde and a botanical known as aristolochic acids are listed as known human carcinogens.
Six other substances – captafol, cobalt-tungsten carbide (in powder or hard metal form), certain inhalable glass wool fibers, o-nitrotoluene, riddelliine, and styrene – are added as substances that are reasonably anticipated to be human carcinogens.
With these additions, the 12th Report on Carcinogens now includes 240 listings.
"Reducing exposure to cancer-causing agents is something we all want, and the Report on Carcinogens provides important information on substances that pose a cancer risk," said Linda Birnbaum, director of both the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Toxicology Program (NTP).
John Bucher, Ph.D., associate director of the NTP added, "This report underscores the critical connection between our nation``s health and what``s in our environment."
ANI
