Latest news with #carcinogens
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
I'm an injury lawyer - there's a popular home accessory I'd NEVER touch: 'It causes all sorts of health problems'
A lawyer has warned consumers against using three potentially cancer-causing products commonly found in homes. American lawyer Tom Bosworth, who specialises in wrongful death cases, said carcinogens silently reside in items like non-stick pans, weedkiller and air fresheners. In a video posted to Instagram thethe attorney, from Pennsylvania, shared three products that he personally 'would never use or buy'. One was 'any non-stick frying pan' like those used in Teflon kitchenware. He explained: 'The Teflon non-stick material has been shown to contain forever chemicals or PFOAs or PFOS—which are extremely volatile, dangerous and toxic.' Mr Bosworth said these chemicals can leach into your food when the pan is heated up to a very high temperature—like when cooking on a stove. 'That in turn can be extremely damaging to your health because you are obviously eating food made on those things,' he said. Studies on animals have shown chemicals used in non-stick pans increases the risk of tumours in the liver, pancreas and testicles of lab animals, as well as reducing their fertility. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tom Bosworth (@lawyertombosworth) Other possible risks include weight gain, hormonal changes, thyroid disruption, low birth weight and inflammatory bowel disease Medics have also issued similar warnings about avoiding non-stick pots and pans. Dr Poonam Desai, a US-based GP, previously said she opts for cast iron and stainless-steel pans because her family's health is her priority, In an Instagram video, she said: 'Scratched or chipped, nonstick cooking pans, can leech millions of micro plastics into our food.' The second product Mr Bosworth said he would never have in his home was scented plug-in air fresheners. 'I get it I've had them before, but they're toxic, they contain really bad chemicals,' he said. If then sprayed into your room in your house, as you breath them in, it can cause 'all sorts of health problems' he explained. 'You're spraying these in an enclosed space inside your house, so it's building up, building up, building up over time. 'And even though they might smell good, they can hurt you,' he warned. He explained that the danger is linked to a substance called volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are tiny chemicals the sprays expel into the air which can then seep into your lungs. In the short term, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns they can then travel to the brain causing dizziness, headaches, concentration lapses and visual disorders. And long term exposure has been linked to heart and lung problems, fertility issues, hormonal imbalances and even cancer. The final product Mr Bosworth highlighted was the weedkiller Roundup with explaining it contains glyphosate and other toxic chemicals. 'Over the years it's been demonstrated over and over and over again, that there's a causative link between Roundup use and certain blood cancers,' he said. Roundup, originally made by company Monsanto, is the UK's most widely used weedkiller with the amount used in the agricultural sector rising by 16 per cent between 2016 and 2020, revealed an Ends Report. But since the 90s, studies have found its active ingredient glyphosate to be linked to liver and kidney disease, infertility, birth abnormalities and cancer. Bayer, the company which purchased Monsanto in 2018, has denied claims that Roundup or its active ingredient glyphosate causes cancer, claiming studies have shown the product is safe. However, there have been approximately 181,000 lawsuits filed against the weedkiller Roundup as of January this year, according to the Bayer website. In 2020, Monsanto agreed to pay almost $11billion (£8billion) to settle most Roundup cancer claims, and additional trials are expected to resume this year. In the UK, the controversial chemical glyphosate remains legal for use until December this year—when the government has to decide if it will approve its use for another 15 years. It follows an urgent warning from scientists last month after they found toxic chemicals in UK tampons. Experts tested 15 boxes of tampons from UK retailers across a range of popular brands including Tampax, Lil Lets, Superdrug, Tesco and Boots. Analysis revealed one sample, which has not been named, contained 0.004mg/kg of glyphosate – a toxic chemical that is the world's most popular weedkiller. While this may seem like a small amount, this is 40-times the level permitted in drinking water.
The Independent
14-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Fear UK consumers are more exposed to cancer-causing food because of Brexit
Fears have been raised that Brexit has left British consumers more exposed to food that can give them cancer because the UK has failed to keep up with EU standards since leaving the bloc. Hopes are high that if Keir Starmer agrees to align the UK to EU rules and regulations in his Brexit reset deal to be unveiled on Monday, then the exposure to carcinogenic nitrites in bacon and ham can be removed. But the concerns are reflected in a new J.L Partners poll that not only revealed more than two-thirds (69 per cent) of Brits fear the UK is falling behind European food standards but the worries are shared by even 55 per cent of pro-Brexit 2024 Reform voters. Stricter EU rules limiting the amount of nitrites permitted in bacon and ham come into force in October - but the UK is currently permitting higher levels of the carcinogenic chemicals in its processed meat. The issue has been taken up by a group of the world's leading scientists, who have joined representatives from seven political parties, including a former UK health minister, to call for carcinogenic nitrites to be removed from processed meats. In 2015, the World Health Organisation (WHO) classified processed meats as a Group One carcinogen - the same classification as tobacco - and attributed an estimated 34,000 global colorectal cancer deaths a year to diets high in processed meats. The Coalition Against Nitrites, a new non-profit organisation, launched this week with the backing of three former WHO scientists, a Harvard professor, and the UK's top food safety expert. Experts backing the campaign include Professor Paolo Vineis from Imperial College London, Professor Denis Corpet from Toulouse University and Professor Robert Turesky from the University of Minnesota. Other scientific supporters include Professor Walter Willett of Harvard University, who is widely regarded as the world's most influential nutritionist, and Professor Chris Elliott, who founded the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen's University Belfast and led the UK Government's investigation into the 2013 horse meat scandal. Political supporters of the campaign include Conservative ex-health minister Lord Bethell, Labour's former shadow health minister Sharon Hodgson MP, DUP health spokesman Jim Shannon MP, former Green Party leader Baroness Bennett, former Deputy Mayor of London Baroness Jones, and the former leader of the SDLP, Baroness Ritchie. Professor Chris Elliott said: 'The UK's departure from the EU has meant we have slipped behind European food standards. The addition of nitrites to processed meats is a major example of what has happened. 'While the EU has sought to protect its consumers with better food safety rules, the UK has dithered, leaving British consumers at greater risk. It is essential the UK keeps pace with the EU's improving food safety rules for the sake of public health.' Professor Walter Willet from the Harvard School of Public Health, added: 'It is time for governments globally to step in and ban the use of these chemicals - or for food producers to make the right decision for human health and remove these dangerous chemicals themselves from their products.' The UK Food Standards Agency has previously claimed that nitrites are 'essential' to protect against botulism. It states: 'Nitrites and nitrates (E 249 – E 252) are used in certain cheeses and processed meats such as bacon, ham, corned beef and other cured meats to help keep it looking red and to aid the development of the 'cured' flavour. However, their main role is to reduce the growth of harmful microorganisms in particular clostridium botulinum, a bacterium that can be life threatening.' However, the EU has recently tightened regulations on the use of nitrites as food additives in processed meats, lowering the levels at which they are legally permitted to be added. Food businesses have been granted a two-year period to adapt to these new limits, with the regulations becoming fully applicable from October 2025. The French government has already acknowledged the health risks associated with nitrites in processed meats and has initiated measures to reduce their usage. In March 2023, it unveiled an action plan aiming for an immediate reduction of nitrite additives in deli meats by approximately 20 per cent. Labour MP Sharon Hodgson, a former shadow health minister, said: 'Knowing what we know today about the health risks of added nitrites, it's time for a serious conversation about the safety of our food.'
