Are chemicals in everyday products that we all use causing an increase in cancer rates? Are they damanging our health in some other way?

In a recent episode of Causes or Cures, I chatted with journalist Kristina Marusic about her book A New War on Cancer, the Unlikely Heroes Revolutionizing Prevention. In the podcast, Kristina discusses how rising cancer rates are linked to our widespread exposure to chemicals, specifically chemicals in everyday products that we all use. She provides an overview of how the United States regulates these chemicals compared to other countries and what testing is or isn’t done before a chemical hits the market. She talks about the public health researchers and health advocates who are revolutionizing our understanding of cancer and its causes, as well as leading the fight against chemical pollution and corporate influence with scientific evidence. Finally, she describes her vision for the new war on cancer, including putting a “face” to prevention.

I hope folks listen to the podcast and read Kristina’s book, as this is an issue that impacts us all, particularly those of us in the US. The chemicals in everyday products impact us all at all ages, and most people are clueless about their exposure. This isn’t to advocate throwing everything you use in the trash. I’m not an “extremes” person. But I hope this podcast serves to cultivate awareness around chemicals used in everday products and their potential link to cancer and other health issues. Mind you, when I say “link” to cancer or other health issues, the strength of that link may vary. And depending on who is looking at what data and what motivates a person, different interpretations abound. Once an exposure (such as chemicals in everyday products) hits the market in a widespread manner, it’s much more difficult to prove causation. Unfortunately, industries know this and use the “causation vs correlation” bit to their advantage, making it much more difficult to remove a potentially harmful substance from the market. If anything, this podcast should also make us think about when we should or shouldn’t employ the precautionary principle, which remains an ongoing debate.

This is also a public health issue. I spend a lot of time in the introduction of this podcast talking about what is and isn’t a public health issue. Somewhere during the COVID pandemic, “public health” became dirty words for many. People associated “public health” with government control and loss of personal liberties. I can understand why people feel that way, and I hope my introduction at least gives them something to think about when considering what is and is not a public health issue.

You can listen to episode on Chemicals in Everyday products  here. 

I invite you to check out some of the other Causes or Cures Podcast episodes:

This is a really interesting one on why some people get sick from COVID and others do not.

And if you struggle with anxiety, this is a great chat I had with Dr. Kirk Schneider about how we can turn anxiety into awe. I benefited from this podcast myself!

Thanks for tuning in to the podcast. If you can leave a review on Apple for Causes or Cures, I would really appreciate it. :)

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