5 Things At Home That Can Cause Cancer

Wednesday, June 27, 2012, 14:52

Most of us think of the emperor of maladies, cancer as an external threat. Smoking, rising pollution levels, ajino-motto etc, are responsible for cancer. However, the incredible fact is that the causes of cancer may lie hidden in your home as well. There are some harmless looking things at home that are actually carcinogens (elements that cause cancer). These things that you overlook everyday, can be the reason for you or your family members getting cancer.

These are the 5 things at home that can certainly cause cancer. Read the following to know exactly why they are carcinogenic.

Things At Home That Cause Cancer:

1. Cheap Plastic Bowls: The brightly coloured plastic bowls look magnificent when you serve food in them and they also fit your pocket. But they are secretly eating away your body cells. Cheap plastic or any kind of plastic for that matter, degenerates on heating. If you are microwave heating these bowls, then they will degenerate and mix harmful carcinogens into your food!

2. Used Mineral Water Bottles: Most mineral water bottles are not pet bottles. According to a World Health survey, storing water in any plastic bottle other than pet bottles is harmful for your health. Most bottles are made with such low quality plastic that they can start degenerating even due to the a mild rise in temperature.

3. Air Fresheners: We usually close all the doors and windows when we spray room fresheners. So are you actually locking yourself into a room of death? Most chemical air fresheners are loaded with formaldehyde and naphthalene. If you inhale them, these chemicals can cause cancer. Always prefer natural air fresheners like scented oils or sandalwood.

4. Scented Candles: Who would think that vibrant little scented candles could give you cancer? But, it is a fact that inappropriately scented candles are one of the few things at home that are responsible for cancer. When these candles burn, they produce cancinogenic gases apart from their sparkling light. Inhaling these can make you prone to cancer at any point of time in your life.

5. Paints And Varnishes: Moving into a freshly painted house could be a huge health hazard. The VOC (volatile organic compounds) in paints and varnishes can give you much more trouble than a headache. It can cause cancer and thus, you must invest a little in wall paints and choose to have non-VOC paints.

These are small things present in all homes that if ignored can cause cancer. Do you know any other dangerous household things that are harmful for your health?