Environmental Causes of Cancer

The term cancer does not refer to one specific disease, but rather to a large group of diseases. Cancer develops when cells in a part of the body begin to grow out of control. Although there are many kinds of cancer, they all start because of the uncontrollable growth of abnormal cells. These cancer cells develop because of damage to DNA, which is found in every cell of the body and directs all of the cells' activities. Although people can inherit damaged DNA, (which accounts for inherited cancers) most of the time a person's DNA becomes damaged due to environmental causes. Environmental hazards such as exposure to radiation, industrial/household chemicals, and certain pesticides have been proven to cause human cancer. Other environmental hazards include personal life style choices in which people engage in risky behaviors such as using tobacco and alcohol excessively, or eating unhealthy diets that cause obesity and other health complications.…