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Unknown carcinogenic risk
One-click glossary
about this glossary tool
In these situations, the cancer risk is unknown because there has been exposure to an agent that is a probable carcinogen or may be carcinogenic, but it’s not known whether the type of exposure could cause cancer.
- Medical management involving blood transfusion bags and similar devices
- Occupational exposure to agents with inadequate evidence of carcinogenicity
- Consuming chlorinated drinking water
- Hazard presented by cell (mobile) phones
- Consuming aspartame
- Environmental exposure to atrazine
- Non-occupational exposure to solvents
- Agent in non-stick cookware and breathable all-weather clothing
- Environmental pollutants, including xenoestrogens, increasing risk of breast cancer
- Use of irritant cosmetics
- Food additives
- Using products containing Bisphenol A
| Situation |
Medical management involving blood transfusion bags and similar devices
|
| Exposure |
Persons subject receiving blood or similar products
|
| Carcinogen |
Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate
|
| Principal route of exposure |
Systemic
|
| Target organ (or tumour type) |
Not clear
|
| Comment |
No clear indication of risk despite evidence of exposure.
|
| Situation |
Occupational exposure to agents with inadequate evidence of carcinogenicity
|
| Exposure |
Workers involved
|
| Carcinogen |
Talc not containing asbestos
Gasoline exhausts
Atrazine
|
| Principal route of exposure |
Dermal & inhalation
Inhalation
Inhalation & dermal
|
| Target organ (or tumour type) |
Lung
Lung
NHL or other sites
|
| Comment |
Listing of agents in this category is limited here to agents implicated in other environmental contexts
|
| Situation |
Consuming chlorinated drinking water
|
| Exposure |
Whole population
|
| Carcinogen |
Chlorinated drinking water
Dichloroacetic acid
Chloroform
Other products
|
| Principal route of exposure |
Ingestion
|
| Target organ (or tumour type) |
Urinary bladder, colo-rectum and some other sites investigated
|
| Comment |
Unequivocal evidence of the benefit of chlorination must be considered.
|
| Situation |
Hazard presented by cell (mobile) phones
|
| Exposure |
Cell (mobile) phone users
|
| Carcinogen |
Electromagnetic fields
|
| Principal route of exposure |
Irradiation
|
| Target organ (or tumour type) |
Brain
|
| Comment |
Risk associated with long term use remains to be established
|
| Situation |
Consuming aspartame
|
| Exposure |
Consumers of relevant foodstuffs
|
| Carcinogen |
Aspartame
|
| Principal route of exposure | Oral |
| Target organ (or tumour type) |
Bladder or other sites
|
| Comment |
Despite negative epidemiogy, fetal exposure may be a risk
|
| Situation |
Environmental exposure to atrazine
|
| Exposure |
Women living in certain regions
|
| Carcinogen |
Atrazine
|
| Principal route of exposure |
Oral, inhalation
|
| Target organ (or tumour type) |
Breast
|
| Comment |
Widespread exposure
|
| Situation |
Non-occupational exposure to solvents
|
| Exposure |
Persons variously using solvents
|
| Carcinogen |
Multiple agents
|
| Principal route of exposure |
Inhalation
|
| Target organ (or tumour type) |
NHL
|
| Comment |
Limited number of specific studies
|
| Situation |
Environmental pollutants, including xenoestrogens, increasing risk of breast cancer
|
| Exposure |
Women in whole population
|
| Carcinogen |
Various insecticides and pollutants
|
| Principal route of exposure |
Presumably inhalation; priority exposure not established
|
| Target organ (or tumour type) |
Breast and other sites
|
| Comment |
Available data do not allow discrimination between multiple agents to indicate greatest harm.
|
| Situation |
Use of irritant cosmetics
|
| Exposure |
Women who use the product
|
| Carcinogen |
Sodium lauryl sulfate
|
| Principal route of exposure | Dermal |
| Target organ (or tumour type) |
Not clear
|
| Comment |
No clear indication of risk.
|
| Situation |
Food additives
|
| Exposure |
Whole population
|
| Carcinogen |
Many compounds including alitame, sodium carboxy-methyl cellulose, nitrite
|
| Principal route of exposure | Ingestion |
| Target organ (or tumour type) |
Not clear but presumed to include colo-rectum
|
| Comment |
Review of the data indicates little increased insight of late although issue has been addressed for decades.
|
| Situation |
Using products containing Bisphenol A
|
| Exposure |
Entire community in light of the wide range of consumer products
|
| Carcinogen |
2,2-bis(4-hydroxy-phenyl)propane
|
| Principal route of exposure |
Ingestion and possibly other routes
|
| Target organ (or tumour type) |
Not clear
|
| Comment |
Inference of hazard from studies of spontaneous abortion and prostate cancer relapse
|
This information is based on peer review research published in the journal: B.W. Stewart, Banding carcinogenic risks in developed countries: A procedural basis for qualitative assessment, Mutat. Res.: Rev. Mutat. Res. (2008), doi:10.1016/j.mrrev.2007.11.007.
This page was last updated on: Monday, November 9, 2015
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