Key words: carcinogenesis, additives, smoking, cosmetics, prevention.
Chemistry is a basic natural science, which is of great significance to human development and has a great relationship with life. As we all know, everything around us is made up of many chemical elements, including many indispensable elements for our human body. According to some chemical knowledge and phenomena, it can also help people to do some common and useful things. Food, clothing, housing and transportation, chemistry is everywhere. With the development of productive forces and the progress of science and technology, the relationship between chemistry and people's lives is getting closer and closer. Chemistry has played an inestimable role in human production and life. However, everything has two sides, which not only brings us convenience, but also brings us some potential harm. The pollution of various chemicals, industrial wastewater and smoke not only causes environmental pollution to nature, but also harms people's health. Some of them are caused by our usual diet, and the biggest ones are some carcinogenic chemicals, which we can completely avoid. Let's start with the most common ones.
As the saying goes, "disaster comes from the mouth, and disease comes from the mouth." It is true that the most basic diet now will affect human health. According to the survey, about 35%-50% of cancer patients in China are related to diet and food processing. It is mainly caused by various food additives in food.
At present, additives are a kind of chemical synthetic or natural substances that improve food quality, prolong food shelf life, facilitate food processing and increase food nutrients. Such as acidity regulator, color fixative, enzyme preparation, flavor enhancer, anti-caking agent, defoamer, antioxidant, bleaching agent, leavening agent, preservative, sweetener, thickener, perfume, etc. For example, the "cream yellow" used to color margarine in the past is a variety of additives that have caused many potential hazards to our health, of course, if it is added in strict accordance with various national standards. One of the biggest events is the recent "melamine milk powder" incident. Sanlu Company, which made this incident, turned out to be a household name. Although it does not cause cancer, the consequences are equally serious. The "Sudan Red" incident a few years ago was originally a normal chemical stain, while those mercenary businessmen only knew how to deceive unreasonable consumers and illegally add it to food. The researchers found that they can cause DNA mutation of human hepatocytes and have certain carcinogenic characteristics. Although it is proved that exposure to carcinogenic substances does not necessarily mean cancer after entering the organism, it is also dangerous. Almost all kinds of things on the shelves now are additive-free. Eating delicious ham, instant noodles and so on. It still feels so delicious. I don't know that these are all our favorite foods and snacks, which are more delicious than those at home. Preservatives, seasonings, etc. In particular, nitrates in preservatives and colorants are very easy to become nitrosamines and have strong gastrointestinal cancer. Similarly, sorbic acid, an efficient and safe preservative recently recommended by FAO and WHO, is widely used in food, beverage, tobacco, pesticide, cosmetics and other industries. Although it is considered as a good preservative, once the sorbic acid added in food exceeds the standard seriously, consumers will harm the health of kidneys and livers to a certain extent, which is also a distortion and canceration.
Of course, as long as all kinds of additives are properly added in strict accordance with the relevant national standards, all kinds of foods are still safe, and we should try to eat as little food with obvious additives as possible.
Another thing that may cause cancer is also common, and that is cigarettes. A large number of studies have proved that the incidence of lung cancer in smokers is 20~25 times higher than that in ordinary people, and it is positively related to the amount of smoking and the length of smoking. Smoking has a history of hundreds of years. Smoking not only harms one's own health, but also harms others. The harm of smoking is a well-known fact. A research result of a foreign psychological research institution shows that the intelligence efficiency of smokers is lower than that of non-smokers 10.6%. Different cigarettes release different chemicals when they are lit, but the main chemicals are tar and carbon monoxide. Harmful substances produced by cigarette ignition can be roughly divided into six categories:
(1) Aldehydes, nitrides and alkenes can stimulate respiratory tract.
(2) Nicotine can stimulate sympathetic nerve and make smokers dependent.
(3) Amines, cyanide and heavy metals are all toxic substances.
(4) Carbon monoxide can reduce the ability of red blood cells to transport oxygen to the whole body.
⑤ Phenolic compounds and formaldehyde, etc. It has the effect of accelerating cancer.
(6) Radioactive substances such as phenylpropyl pyrene, arsenic, cadmium, methylhydrazine and aminophenol.
These substances are carcinogenic. When it comes to the carcinogenicity of cigarettes, we have to talk about its important components: nicotine, which is a neurotoxin and mainly infringes on people's nervous system. Some smokers subjectively think that smoking can relieve fatigue and refresh their minds. This is a temporary nervous system excitement, which is actually a euphoria caused by nicotine. After the excitement, the nervous system immediately inhibited. Therefore, the sensitivity and accuracy of neuromuscular response decreased after smoking. Nicotine is addictive and dependent. It is usually difficult for people to restrain themselves. Nicotine in one cigarette can poison a mouse, and nicotine in 20 cigarettes can poison a cow. The lethal dose of human is 50~70 mg, which is equivalent to the nicotine content of 20~25 cigarettes. If nicotine in a cigar or three cigarettes is injected into a person's vein for 3 to 5 minutes, he will die. Tobacco is not only harmful to higher animals, but also harmful to lower animals, so it is also the main component of agricultural pesticides. . The smoke from cigarette burning contains more than a thousand kinds of chemicals, among which 3,4-benzopyrene, nicotine and tar have been identified as carcinogens. In addition, radioactive elements polonium -2 10, carbon-14, arsenic and nickel also have carcinogenic effects. Recent research by Japanese scholars shows that smog also contains the most toxic compound "dioxin" among the substances known so far. By reducing tar content or adding filter tips to change the carcinogenic components in tobacco, the histological types of lung cancer can also be changed, which proves that smoking is closely related to the occurrence of lung cancer. Similarly, smoking has a great influence on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, as well as digestive tract and respiratory tract. The incidence of various harmful diseases, such as stroke, coronary heart disease, hypertension, cerebrovascular disease, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, chronic inflammation and ulcer, will be much higher than that of non-smokers. Even so, many people still smoke regardless of the harm of cigarettes, especially in China, where the smoking age is decreasing. More and more teenagers imitate smoking out of curiosity, always thinking that smoking can show that they are men, and deliberately smoking to prove their maturity. And with the increase of smoking addiction, the number of smokers is also increasing. From a few cigarettes a day to a pack, two packs or even more, some people sit there and smoke one after another without turning off the fire. So for the health of you and others, please stay away from cigarettes.
There is also a huge carcinogenic hazard in our life, that is cosmetics. In this era, cosmetics are almost indispensable for women. Cosmetics are an irresistible temptation for women. As everyone knows, their potential harm is equally huge. The news that cosmetics cause cancer is not uncommon. Not only is perfume toxic, but many beauty cosmetics are carcinogenic. The American Herbal Association believes that more than 60% of skin care materials will enter the body through the skin surface, rather than. A research report of 5438+ 10 in June last year in Britain pointed out that in Europe, British women use cosmetics the most. Last year, they spent about 6.4 billion pounds on various cosmetics, and used 12 kinds of cosmetics every day on average, containing at least 175 kinds of chemicals, and each person absorbed about 2.25 kilograms of chemicals through the skin or mouth every year. Therefore, if cosmetics are used improperly or abused, it will be harmful to health, and it will stimulate human skin, even cause cosmetic dermatitis, and even induce cancer and endanger life. As a result, make-up can not only get the result of beauty, but also become the trap of beauty make-up. It can be said that cosmetics are a fatal temptation!
First of all, cosmetics contain a variety of chemicals, the most worrying of which is the preservative of light benzoic acid. Statistics show that 99% of makeup products and 77% of makeup remover products contain light benzoic acid. Light benzoic acid can destroy hormones. Evidence shows that they imitate the female hormone estrogen, which may increase the risk of breast cancer if women are exposed to estrogen for life. A study shows that the proportion of light benzoic acid in breast cancer tissue samples is as high as 90%, which may also endanger male reproductive ability. Secondly, the hair dye that people use frequently for a long time may or may not cause permanent harm to the human body. Recently, it has been found that the urine of women who dye their hair can contain mutagenic ordinary substances, suggesting the possibility of cancer after the hair dye is absorbed by the hair. The American Cancer Society recently surveyed10.3 million women who dyed their hair, and found that the number of women who suffered from leukemia was 3.8 times that of women who did not dye their hair. In addition, women who use hair dyes are 70% more likely to develop lymphoma.
Moreover, most women like to apply lipstick and lipstick on their lips, and they should also pay attention to preventing health hazards. The main components of lipstick are lanolin, wax and dye. Because of the complex composition of lanolin, it is easy to cause allergic reactions, such as chapped and peeling lips mucosa, and sometimes the lips will itch or have slight pain. Lanolin also has strong adsorption, which can adsorb dust, bacteria, viruses and some heavy metal ions in the air on the lip mucosa. Alkaline scarlet in lipstick, eosin and flame red in rouge are all highly carcinogenic. All dyes such as coal tar used in lipstick are terrible carcinogens, and the content of this substance in lipstick has greatly exceeded the allowable content in food. Other perfumes, freckle removing, manicure, perm and so on are all carcinogenic. When using cosmetics, use them healthily, stay away from cancer-causing cosmetics, and don't trust all kinds of advertisements.
Although house prices are rising all the way now, people are still fighting for their houses, and it will hurt to decorate them. On average, people spend more than 80% time indoors every day. With the modernization of production and lifestyle, more work, entertainment and sports activities can be carried out indoors, and shopping does not have to go to the streets every day. The suitable indoor microclimate makes it unnecessary for people to often go outdoors to adjust the thermal effect. In this way, people spend more time indoors, even more than 93%. Therefore, the relationship between indoor air quality and human health is closer and more important. Although the indoor pollutant concentration is often low, the cumulative exposure is high because of the long contact time. Especially in newly renovated houses, formaldehyde, benzene series and radon are all strong carcinogens. Formaldehyde has been identified as a carcinogen and teratogenic substance by the World Health Organization. It is a recognized source of allergic reaction and one of the potential strong mutagens. In the priority control list of toxic chemicals in China, formaldehyde ranks second. The main harm of formaldehyde is the irritation to skin and mucosa. Formaldehyde is a protoplasmic toxic substance, which can combine with protein. When inhaled in high concentration, it will cause severe respiratory irritation, edema, eye irritation and headache. Direct contact with formaldehyde can cause allergic dermatitis, pigmentation and necrosis. High concentration inhalation can induce bronchial asthma. High concentration of formaldehyde is also a genotoxic substance. Experimental animals can cause nasopharyngeal tumors under the condition of high concentration inhalation in laboratory. Formaldehyde is a raw material for making synthetic resins, paints, plastics and man-made fibers. They will gradually release residual or unreacted formaldehyde to the surrounding environment, and the longest release period can reach more than ten years. Generally, formaldehyde in newly renovated houses will exceed the standard. As long as one or two pots of chlorophytum are put in the new house, formaldehyde will be partially absorbed, but the removal of formaldehyde is still a scientific problem, so we should pay attention to purifying indoor formaldehyde as reasonably as possible to minimize the harm.
There are many common carcinogens, such as:
Pesticides: Many pesticides have carcinogenic effects. Pesticides are basically divided into organic chlorine, organic phosphorus and organic nitrogen. Organochlorine mainly induces liver tumors, organophosphorus can cause breast and ovarian tumors, and organic nitrogen is related to lymphoma. Long-term consumption of contaminated vegetables is an important cause of cancer, arteriosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, fetal malformation, stillbirth, premature death and premature aging. In recent years, the incidence of cancer is getting higher and higher, and it is getting younger and younger, which is largely related to eating contaminated vegetables.
Benzene: As an organic solvent and chemical raw material, benzene is widely used in industry. Benzene is the raw material for producing chlorobenzene, nitrobenzene, perfume, medicine, pesticide, synthetic fiber, synthetic rubber, synthetic plastic (polystyrene) and synthetic dye. Long-term exposure to benzene can lead to chronic benzene poisoning and blood tumors.
Dyes, such as azo dyes, ethylaniline and benzidine, have a strong carcinogenic effect. Moreover, our clothes are dyed with colorful dyes, and the harm is around us.
Polycyclic hydrocarbons exist in coal tar, asphalt, crude paraffin, creosote and anthracene oil. These substances contain 3,4-benzopyrene, which is an important carcinogen and has a high content in tobacco.
No matter what the carcinogenic factors are, people are exposed to relatively small amounts of toxic chemicals. The deposition of toxic chemicals in the body needs a long process, which only increases the possibility of cancer and does not necessarily lead to cancer. So don't talk about the discoloration of chemicals, and don't worry too much. As long as we have as little contact as possible in life, stay away from fake and shoddy products, keep indoor ventilation and air circulation, establish and implement a safety production system at work, and regularly monitor the concentration of carcinogens in the environment. As long as you pay a little attention in your daily life, you can do whatever you want, find and solve problems, minimize harm and prevent problems before they happen. It's not that scary