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Simply put, cancer is the abnormal or irregular growth of cells or tissue.
There are many triggers that may cause or increase the risk of cancer, including exposure to certain
chemicals or toxic air contaminants.
The increased risk of cancer from exposure to a chemical can be estimated
using a health risk calculation. This calculation gives an estimate of
the additional risk of getting cancer from continuous exposure (70
years and 365 days per year) to potentially cancer-causing compounds. Cancer risk is
given as a
probability (often expressed in terms of “x in one million chances”) and
constitutes a range starting from zero.
Each chemical has a unique toxicological profile. Chemicals may affect
the body through different mechanisms and cause or contribute to different types of cancers.
For a more detailed discussion about chemicals known or suspected to cause
cancer and their potential health effects, please consult the individual
ToxFAQs. This link
provides information developed by the Agency for Toxic Substances and
Disease Registry, which is a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services. An alphabetical list of chemicals is provided. You may access
these fact sheets and associated health summaries by clicking on the chemical of interest.
Back to Adverse Health Impact Main
Back to AB2588 Main
This page updated:
January 15, 2008
URL:
http://www.aqmd.gov/prdas/AB2588/HI_Cancer.html
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