A carcinogen is a substance or exposure that can lead to cancer. Most cancers are, directly or indirectly, linked to environmental factors and thus are preventable.
This document: http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Classification/ClassificationsGroupOrder.pdf from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) (http://www.iarc.fr/) is worth reading.
The IARC Monographs identify environmental factors that can increase the risk of human cancer. These include chemicals, complex mixtures, occupational exposures, physical agents, biological agents, and lifestyle factors. Since 1971, more than 900 agents have been evaluated, of which approximately 400 have been identified as carcinogenic, probably carcinogenic, or possibly carcinogenic to humans.
Group 1 Carcinogenic to humans
Group 2 A Probably carcinogenic to humans
Group 2B Possibly carcinogenic to humans
Group 3 Not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans
Group 4 Probably not carcinogenic to humans
The use of certain substances has already been banned and several guidelines have been published to help prevent the exposure to carcinogens. EU regulations make it mandatory to supply information and labelling of the product by the manufacturers and suppliers in what concerns chemical substances.
Despite this I feel that there is still lack of public awareness about carcinogenic substances present in products we use daily and maybe more should be done to increase knowledge that would allow each one of us to opt to use alternative products when possible.
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