What is known about cancer and the environment?
From the National Institutes of Health’s Cancer and the Environment: What You Need to Know, What You Can Do: Environmental factors such as viruses, sunlight, and chemicals interact with cells throughout our lives. Mechanisms to repair damage to our genes and healthy lifestyle choices (wearing protective clothing for sun exposure or not smoking) help to protect us from harmful exposures. However, over time, substances in the environment may cause gene alterations, which accumulate inside our cells. While many alterations have no effect on a person’s health, permanent changes in certain genes can lead to cancer. Because of the complex interplay of many factors, it is not possible to predict whether a specific environmental exposure will cause a particular person to develop cancer. We know that certain genetic and environmental factors increase the risk of developing cancer, but we rarely know exactly what combination of factors is responsible for a person’s specific cancer. This also mea
