Many people worry about substances or exposures in their environment that may cause cancer. As part of the American Cancer Society's role in informing and educating people about cancer and its possible causes, this document provides lists of substances and exposures that are known or suspected to cause cancer. The lists below have been developed by two highly respected agencies -- the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the US National Toxicology Program (NTP). To help put these lists into context, some related information is included on how these and other agencies and groups test and classify possible carcinogens.

The American Cancer Society does not keep detailed information on each of the exposures on these lists. Anyone looking for more in-depth information on a particular item on these lists should refer to the agencies in the "Additional resources" section of this document.

What is a carcinogen?

Cancer is caused by changes (mutations) in a cell's DNA -- its genetic "blueprint". Some of these changes may be inherited from our parents, while others may be caused by outside exposures, which are often referred to as environmental factors. Environmental factors can include a wide range of exposures, such as lifestyle factors (nutrition, tobacco use, physical activity, etc.), naturally occurring exposures (ultraviolet light, radon, infectious agents, etc.), medical treatments (chemotherapy, radiation, and immune system-suppressing drugs used after organ transplants, etc.), workplace and household exposures, and pollution.

Substances and exposures that can lead to cancer are called carcinogens. Some carcinogens do not act on DNA directly, but lead to cancer in other ways. For example, they may cause cells to divide at a faster than normal rate, which could increase the chances that DNA changes will occur.

Carcinogens do not cause cancer in every case, all the time. Substances labeled as carcinogens may have different levels of cancer-causing potential. Some may cause cancer only after prolonged, high levels of exposure. And for any particular person, the risk of developing cancer depends on many factors, including how they are exposed to a carcinogen, the length and intensity of the exposure, and the person's genetic makeup.

How do researchers determine if something is a carcinogen?

Testing substances or exposures to see if they can cause cancer is often difficult. It is not ethical to test a substance by exposing people to it and seeing if they get cancer from it. Therefore, scientists must resort to other types of tests, which may not always provide clear answers.

Lab studies

Scientists get much of their data about whether something might cause cancer from lab studies in cell cultures and animals. Because there are far too many substances (natural and man-made) to test each one in lab animals, scientists use knowledge about chemical structure, other types of lab tests, information about the extent of human exposure, and other factors to select chemicals for testing. For example, they can often get an idea about whether a substance might cause a problem by looking at its chemical structure and comparing it to similar chemicals that have been better studied.

Although it isn't possible to predict with certainty which substances will cause cancer in humans based on lab studies alone, virtually all known human carcinogens that have been adequately tested produce cancer in lab animals. In many cases, carcinogens are first found to cause cancer in lab animals and are later found to cause cancer in people.

Most studies of potential carcinogens expose the lab animals to doses that are higher than common human exposures. This is so that cancer risk can be detected in relatively small groups of animals. For most carcinogens, it is assumed that those that cause cancer at larger doses in animals will also cause cancer in people. Although it isn't always possible to know the relationship between exposure dose and risk, it is reasonable for public health purposes to assume that lowering human exposure will reduce risk.

Epidemiologic (population-based) studies

Another important way to identify carcinogens is through epidemiologic studies, which look at human populations to determine which factors might be linked to cancer. Although these studies also provide useful information, they also have their limitations. Humans do not live in a controlled environment. People are exposed to numerous substances at any one time, including those they encounter at work, school, or home; in the food they eat; and the air they breathe. It's very unlikely they know exactly what they've been exposed to or that they would be able to remember all of their exposures if asked by a researcher. And there are usually many years (often decades) between exposure to a carcinogen and the development of cancer. Therefore, it can be very hard to single out any particular exposure as having a definite link to cancer.

By combining data from both types of studies, scientists do their best to make an educated assessment of a substance's cancer-causing ability. When the available evidence is compelling but not felt to be conclusive, the substance may be considered to be a probable carcinogen. But in some cases there simply isn't enough information to be certain one way or the other.

For more information on how possible carcinogens are studied and classified, see the separate American Cancer Society document, Environmental and Occupational Cancer Risk Factors: Overview.

Who determines how carcinogens are classified?

Several agencies (national and international) are responsible for determining the cancer-causing potential of different substances.

International Agency for Research on Cancer

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is part of the World Health Organization (WHO). Its major goal is to identify causes of cancer. The most widely used system for classifying carcinogens comes from the IARC. In the past 30 years, the IARC has evaluated the cancer-causing potential of more than 900 likely candidates, placing them into one of the following groups:

• Group 1: Carcinogenic to humans
• Group 2A: Probably carcinogenic to humans
• Group 2B: Possibly carcinogenic to humans
• Group 3: Unclassifiable as to carcinogenicity in humans
• Group 4: Probably not carcinogenic to humans

Perhaps not surprisingly, based on how hard it can be to test these candidate carcinogens, most are listed as being of probable, possible, or unknown risk. Only a little over 100 are classified as "carcinogenic to humans."

National Toxicology Program

The US National Toxicology Program (NTP) is formed from parts of several different US government agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In the United States, the NTP releases the Report on Carcinogens about every 2 years.

The Report on Carcinogens (RoC) identifies 2 groups of agents:

• "Known to be human carcinogens"
• "Reasonably anticipated to be human carcinogens"

Unlike the IARC's list, the RoC does not list substances that have been studied and found not to be carcinogens.

Environmental Protection Agency

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS), an electronic database that contains information on human health effects from exposure to various substances in the environment. The EPA uses a rating system similar to that of IARC when describing the cancer-causing potential of a substance:

• Group A: Carcinogenic to humans
• Group B: Likely to be carcinogenic to humans
• Group C: Suggestive evidence of carcinogenic potential
• Group D: Inadequate information to assess carcinogenic potential
• Group E: Not likely to be carcinogenic to humans

Other agencies and groups

Other federal agencies, such as the CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), may comment on whether a substance or exposure may cause cancer and/or what levels of exposure to a particular substance might be considered acceptable.

Some state agencies also keep lists of known or probable carcinogens. For example, the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) maintains a list of "chemicals known to the state to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity." (Much of this list is based on the IARC and NTP lists below.)

The American Cancer Society's role

The American Cancer Society contributes in many ways to evaluating how environmental factors affect a person's likelihood of developing cancer, including:

• conducting epidemiologic research on the causes of cancer
• funding laboratory and epidemiologic research at universities and other institutions that study environmental causes of cancer
• advocating for environmental health on a local, state, and federal level
• informing the public about environmental factors that affect cancer risk and how to decrease their risk of developing cancer

In most cases, the ACS does not directly evaluate the potential cancer-causing ability of particular substances or exposures. Instead, the ACS looks to national and international organizations such as the National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer, whose mission is to evaluate environmental cancer risks based on evidence from laboratory, animal, and human research studies.

The ACS may make one of several recommendations based on such evidence:

• When laboratory, animal, and human data concur and have been confirmed by several different investigators, the ACS will recommend that such substances or exposure risks be modified, removed, or controlled.

• When suggestive laboratory and/or animal data are not confirmed by adequate studies in human populations, the ACS will recommend appropriate degrees of caution and sensible awareness.

• When available laboratory, animal, or human data do not suggest carcinogenicity, the ACS will make that conclusion known and will work to allay whatever public apprehensions and misconceptions may have developed.

Some important points about the IARC and NTP lists below

The IARC and NTP act independently but have studied many of the same agents; therefore many known or suspected carcinogens appear on both lists. But because an agent appears on one and not on the other does not necessarily mean there is a controversy, as one agency may not have evaluated it.

These lists include only those agents that have been evaluated by the agencies. While these agencies tend to focus on substances and exposures most likely to cause cancer, there are many others that have not been studied fully yet.

Most of the agents on the list are connected only with certain kinds of cancer, not all types. For more detailed information, refer to the specific monographs or reports published by the agencies (available on their Web sites).

The lists themselves say nothing about how likely it is that an agent will cause cancer. Carcinogens do not cause cancer at all times, under all circumstances. Some may only be carcinogenic if a person is exposed in a certain way (for example, ingesting it as opposed to touching it). Some may only cause cancer in people who have a certain genetic makeup. Some of these agents may lead to cancer after only a very small exposure, while others might require intense exposure over many years. Again, you should refer to the agencies' reports for specifics.

Even if a substance or exposure is known or suspected to cause cancer, this does not necessarily mean that it should be avoided at all costs. Although looking at the list below can tell you whether or not something may increase your risk of cancer, it is important to have an idea of what your risk is to begin with. Many factors can enter into this, including your age, gender, family history, and lifestyle factors (tobacco and alcohol use, weight, diet, physical activity level, etc.). As noted above, the type and extent of exposure to a substance may also play a role. You should consider the actual amount of increased risk when deciding if you should avoid an exposure.

As an example, the lists below include many commonly used medicines, particularly some hormones and drugs used to treat cancer. For example, tamoxifen increases the risk of certain kinds of uterine cancer but can be very useful in treating some breast cancers, which may be more important for some women. If you have questions about a medicine that appears on one of these lists, be sure to ask your doctor.

Known human carcinogens

International Agency for Research on Cancer "Carcinogenic to humans" (Group 1)

Agents and groups of agents

• 4-Aminobiphenyl
• Arsenic and arsenic compounds (Note: This evaluation applies to the group of compounds as a whole and not necessarily to all individual compounds within the group)
• Asbestos
• Azathioprine
• Benzene
• Benzidine
• Benzo[a]pyrene
• Beryllium and beryllium compounds
• N,N-Bis(2-chloroethyl)-2-naphthylamine (Chlornaphazine)
• Bis(chloromethyl)ether and chloromethyl methyl ether (technical-grade)
• 1,3-Butadiene
• 1,4-Butanediol dimethanesulfonate (Busulphan; Myleran)
• Cadmium and cadmium compounds
• Chlorambucil
• 1-(2-Chloroethyl)-3-(4-methylcyclohexyl)-1-nitrosourea (Methyl-CCNU; Semustine)
• Chromium[VI]
• Ciclosporin
• Cyclophosphamide
• Diethylstilbestrol
• Dyes metabolized to benzidine
• Epstein-Barr virus
• Erionite
• Estrogen-progestogen menopausal therapy (combined)
• Estrogen-progestogen oral contraceptives (combined) (Note: There is also convincing evidence in humans that these agents confer a protective effect against cancer in the endometrium and ovary)
• Estrogens, nonsteroidal (Note: This evaluation applies to the group of compounds as a whole and not necessarily to all individual compounds within the group)
• Estrogens, steroidal (Note: This evaluation applies to the group of compounds as a whole and not necessarily to all individual compounds within the group)
• Estrogen therapy, postmenopausal
• Ethanol in alcoholic beverages
• Ethylene oxide
• Etoposide in combination with cisplatin and bleomycin
• Formaldehyde
• Gallium arsenide
• [Gamma Radiation: see X- and Gamma (g)-Radiation]
• Helicobacter pylori (infection with)
• Hepatitis B virus (chronic infection with)
• Hepatitis C virus (chronic infection with)
• Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (infection with)
• Human papillomavirus types 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59 and 66 (Note: The HPV types that have been classified as carcinogenic to humans can differ by an order of magnitude in risk for cervical cancer)
• Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I
• Melphalan
• 8-Methoxypsoralen (Methoxsalen) plus ultraviolet A radiation
• Methylenebis(chloroaniline) (MOCA)
• MOPP and other combined chemotherapy including alkylating agents
• Mustard gas (Sulfur mustard)
• 2-Naphthylamine
• Neutrons
• Nickel compounds
• N'-Nitrosonornicotine (NNN) and 4-(N-Nitrosomethylamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK)
  Opisthorchis viverrini (infection with)
• [Oral contraceptives, combined estrogen-progestogen: see Estrogen-progestogen oral contraceptives (combined)]
• Oral contraceptives, sequential
• Phosphorus-32, as phosphate
• Plutonium-239 and its decay products (may contain plutonium-240 and other isotopes), as aerosols
• Radioiodines, short-lived isotopes, including iodine-131, from atomic reactor accidents and nuclear weapons detonation (exposure during childhood)
• Radionuclides, a-particle-emitting, internally deposited (Note: Specific radionuclides for which there is sufficient evidence for carcinogenicity to humans are also listed individually as Group 1 agents)
• Radionuclides, b-particle-emitting, internally deposited (Note: Specific radionuclides for which there is sufficient evidence for carcinogenicity to humans are also listed individually as Group 1 agents)
• Radium-224 and its decay products
• Radium-226 and its decay products
• Radium-228 and its decay products
• Radon-222 and its decay products
• Schistosoma haematobium (infection with)
• Silica, crystalline (inhaled in the form of quartz or cristobalite from occupational sources)
• Solar radiation
• Talc containing asbestiform fibres
• Tamoxifen (Note: There is also conclusive evidence that tamoxifen reduces the risk of contralateral breast cancer)
• 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin
• Thiotepa
• Thorium-232 and its decay products, administered intravenously as a colloidal dispersion of thorium-232 dioxide
• ortho-Toluidine
• Treosulfan
• Vinyl chloride
• X- and Gamma (g)-radiation

Mixtures

• Aflatoxins (naturally occurring mixtures of)
• Alcoholic beverages
• Areca nut
• Betel quid with tobacco
• Betel quid without tobacco
• Coal-tar pitches
• Coal-tars
• Herbal remedies containing plant species of the genus Aristolochia
• Household combustion of coal, indoor emissions from
• Mineral oils, untreated and mildly treated
• Phenacetin, analgesic mixtures containing
• Salted fish (Chinese-style)
• Shale-oils
• Soots
• Tobacco, smokeless
• Wood dust

Exposure circumstances

• Aluminum production
• Arsenic in drinking-water
• Auramine production
• Boot and shoe manufacture and repair
• Chimney sweeping
• Coal gasification
• Coal-tar distillation
• Coke production
• Furniture and cabinet making
• Hematite mining (underground) with exposure to radon
• Involuntary smoking (exposure to secondhand or 'environmental' tobacco smoke)
• Iron and steel founding
• Isopropyl alcohol manufacture (strong-acid process)
• Magenta production
• Painter (occupational exposure as a)
• Paving and roofing with coal-tar pitch
• Rubber industry
• Strong-inorganic-acid mists containing sulfuric acid (occupational exposure to)
• Tobacco smoking and tobacco smoke

National Toxicology Program 11th Report on Carcinogens "Known to be human carcinogens"

• Aflatoxins
• Alcoholic beverage consumption
• 4-Aminobiphenyl
• Analgesic mixtures containing phenacetin
• Arsenic compounds, inorganic
• Asbestos
• Azathioprine
• Benzene
• Benzidine
• Beryllium and beryllium compounds
• 1,3-Butadiene
• 1,4-Butanediol dimethylsulfonate (busulfan, Myleran®)
• Cadmium and cadmium compounds
• Chlorambucil
• 1-(2-Chloroethyl)-3-(4-methylcyclohexyl)-1-nitrosourea (MeCCNU)
• bis(chloromethyl) ether and technical-grade chloromethyl methyl ether
• Chromium hexavalent compounds
• Coal tar pitches
• Coal tars
• Coke oven emissions
• Cyclophosphamide
• Cyclosporin A (Ciclosporin)
• Diethylstilbestrol (DES)
• Dyes metabolized to benzidine
• Environmental tobacco smoke
• Erionite
• Estrogens, steroidal
• Ethylene oxide
• Hepatitis B virus
• Hepatitis C virus
• Human papilloma viruses: some genital-mucosal types
• Melphalan
• Methoxsalen with ultraviolet A therapy (PUVA)
• Mineral oils (untreated and mildly treated)
• Mustard gas
• 2-Naphthylamine
• Neutrons
• Nickel compounds
• Oral tobacco products
• Radon
• Silica, crystalline (respirable size)
• Solar radiation
• Soots
• Strong inorganic acid mists containing sulfuric acid
• Sunlamps or sunbeds, exposure to
• Tamoxifen
• 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD); "dioxin"
• Thiotepa
• Thorium dioxide
• Tobacco smoking
• Vinyl chloride
• Ultraviolet radiation, broad spectrum UV radiation
• Wood dust
• X-radiation and gamma radiation

Probable carcinogens

International Agency for Research on Cancer "Probably carcinogenic to humans" (Group 2A)

Agents and groups of agents

• Acrylamide
  Adriamycin
• Androgenic (anabolic) steroids
• Aristolochic acids (naturally occurring mixtures of)
• Azacitidine
• Bischloroethyl nitrosourea (BCNU)
• Captafol
• Chloramphenicol
• a-Chlorinated toluenes (benzal chloride, benzotrichloride, benzyl chloride) and benzoyl chloride (combined exposures)
• 1-(2-Chloroethyl)-3-cyclohexyl-1-nitrosourea (CCNU)
• 4-Chloro-ortho-toluidine
• Chlorozotocin
  Cisplatin
• Clonorchis sinensis (infection with)
• Cyclopenta[cd]pyrene
• Dibenz[a,h]anthracene
• Dibenzo[a,l]pyrene
• Diethyl sulfate
• Dimethylcarbamoyl chloride
• 1,2-Dimethylhydrazine
• Dimethyl sulfate
  Epichlorohydrin
• Ethyl carbamate (urethane)
• Ethylene dibromide
• N-Ethyl-N-nitrosourea
• Etoposide
• Glycidol
• Indium phosphide
  IQ (2-Amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline)
• Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus/human herpesvirus 8
• Lead compounds, inorganic
• 5-Methoxypsoralen
• Methyl methanesulfonate
• N-Methyl-N´-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine(MNNG)
• N-Methyl-N-nitrosourea
• Nitrate or nitrite (ingested) under conditions that result in endogenous nitrosation
• Nitrogen mustard
• N-Nitrosodiethylamine
• N-Nitrosodimethylamine
• Phenacetin
• Procarbazine hydrochloride
• Styrene-7,8-oxide
• Teniposide
• Tetrachloroethylene
• Trichloroethylene
• 1,2,3-Trichloropropane
• Tris(2,3-dibromopropyl) phosphate
• Ultraviolet radiation A
• Ultraviolet radiation B
• Ultraviolet radiation C
• [Urethane: see Ethyl carbamate]
• Vinyl bromide (Note: For practical purposes, vinyl bromide should be considered to act similarly to the human carcinogen vinyl chloride.)
• Vinyl fluoride (Note: For practical purposes, vinyl fluoride should be considered to act similarly to the human carcinogen vinyl chloride.)

Mixtures

• Creosotes
• Diesel engine exhaust
• High-temperature frying, emissions from
• Hot mate
• Household combustion of biomass fuel (primarily wood), indoor emissions from
• Non-arsenical insecticides (occupational exposures in spraying and application of)
• Polychlorinated biphenyls

Exposure circumstances

• Art glass, glass containers and pressed ware (manufacture of)
• Carbon electrode manufacture
• Cobalt metal with tungsten carbide
• Hairdresser or barber (occupational exposure as a)
• Petroleum refining (occupational exposures in)
• Shiftwork that involves circadian disruption
• Sunlamps and sunbeds (use of)

National Toxicology Program 11th Report on Carcinogens "Reasonably anticipated to be human carcinogens"

• Acetaldehyde
• 2-Acetylaminofluorene
• Acrylamide
• Acrylonitrile
• Adriamycin® (doxorubicin hydrochloride)
• 2-Aminoanthraquinone
• o-Aminoazotoluene
• 1-Amino-2,4-dibromoanthraquinone
• 1-Amino-2-methylanthraquinone
• 2-Amino-3,4-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (MeIQ)
• 2-Amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx)
• 2-Amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ)
• 2-Amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP)
• Amitrole
• o-Anisidine hydrochloride
• Azacitidine (5-Azacytidine®, 5-AzaC)
• Benz[a]anthracene
• Benzo[b]fluoranthene
• Benzo[j]fluoranthene
• Benzo[k]fluoranthene
• Benzo[a]pyrene
• Benzotrichloride
• Bromodichloromethane
• 2, 2-bis-(bromoethyl)-1,3-propanediol (technical grade)
• Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)
• Carbon tetrachloride
• Ceramic fibers (respirable size)
• Chloramphenicol
• Chlorendic acid
• Chlorinated paraffins (C12, 60% chlorine)
• 1-(2-chloroethyl)-3-cyclohexyl-1-nitrosourea
• Bis (chloroethyl) nitrosourea
• Chloroform
• 3-Chloro-2-methylpropene
• 4-Chloro-o-phenylenediamine
• Chloroprene
• p-Chloro-o-toluidine and p-chloro-o-toluidine hydrochloride
• Chlorozotocin
• C.I. basic red 9 monohydrochloride
• Cisplatin
• Cobalt sulfate
• p-Cresidine
• Cupferron
• Dacarbazine
• Danthron (1,8-dihydroxyanthraquinone)
• 2,4-Diaminoanisole sulfate
• 2,4-Diaminotoluene
• Diazoaminobenzene
• Dibenz[a,h]acridine
• Dibenz[a,j]acridine
• Dibenz[a,h]anthracene
• 7H-Dibenzo[c,g]carbazole
• Dibenzo[a,e]pyrene
• Dibenzo[a,h]pyrene
• Dibenzo[a,i]pyrene
• Dibenzo[a,l]pyrene
• 1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane
• 1,2-Dibromoethane (ethylene dibromide)
• 2,3-Dibromo-1-propanol
• Tris (2,3-dibromopropyl) phosphate
• 1,4-Dichlorobenzene
• 3,3’-Dichlorobenzidine and 3,3’-dichlorobenzidine dihydrochloride
• Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT)
• 1,2-Dichloroethane (ethylene dichloride)
• Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)
• 1,3-Dichloropropene (technical grade)
• Diepoxybutane
• Diesel exhaust particulates
• Diethyl sulfate
• Diglycidyl resorcinol ether
• 3,3’-Dimethoxybenzidine
• 4-Dimethylaminoazobenzene
• 3,3’-Dimethylbenzidine
• Dimethylcarbamoyl chloride
• 1,1-Dimethylhydrazine
• Dimethyl sulfate
• Dimethylvinyl chloride
• 1,6-Dinitropyrene
• 1,8-Dinitropyrene
• 1,4-Dioxane
• Disperse blue 1
• Dyes metabolized to 3,3’-dimethoxybenzidine
• Dyes metabolized to 3,3’-dimethylbenzidine
• Epichlorohydrin
• Ethylene thiourea
• Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate
• Ethyl methanesulfonate
• Formaldehyde (gas)
• Furan
• Glasswool (respirable size)
• Glycidol
• Hexachlorobenzene
• Hexachlorocyclohexane isomoers
• Hexachloroethane
• Hexamethylphosphoramide
• Hydrazine and hydrazine sulfate
• Hydrazobenzene
• Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene
• Iron dextran complex
• Isoprene
• Kepone® (chlordecone)
• Lead and lead compounds
• Lindane and other hexachlorocyclohexane isomers
• 2-Methylaziridine (propylenimine)
• 5-Methylchrysene
• 4,4’-Methylenebis(2-chloroaniline)
• 4-4’-Methylenebis(N,N-dimethyl)benzenamine
• 4,4’-Methylenedianiline and 4,4’-methylenedianiline dihydrochloride
• Methyleugenol
• Methyl methanesulfonate
• N-methyl-N’-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine
• Metronidazole
• Michler’s ketone [4,4’-(dimethylamino) benzophenone]
• Mirex
• Naphthalene
• Nickel (metallic)
• Nitrilotriacetic acid
• o-Nitroanisole
• Nitrobenzene
• 6-Nitrochrysene
• Nitrofen (2,4-dichlorophenyl-p-nitrophenyl ether)
• Nitrogen mustard hydrochloride
• Nitromethane
• 2-Nitropropane
• 1-Nitropyrene
• 4-Nitropyrene
• N-nitrosodi-n-butylamine
• N-nitrosodiethanolamine
• N-nitrosodiethylamine
• N-nitrosodimethylamine
• N-nitrosodi-n-propylamine
• N-nitroso-N-ethylurea
• 4-(N-nitrosomethylamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone
• N-nitroso-N-methylurea
• N-nitrosomethylvinylamine
• N-nitrosomorpholine
• N-nitrosonornicotine
• N-nitrosopiperidine
• N-nitrosopyrrolidine
• N-nitrososarcosine
• Norethisterone
• Ochratoxin A
• 4,4’-Oxydianiline
• Oxymetholone
• Phenacetin
• Phenazopyridine hydrochloride
• Phenolphthalein
• Phenoxybenzamine hydrochloride
• Phenytoin
• Polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs)
• Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
• Procarbazine hydrochloride
• Progesterone
• 1,3-Propane sultone
• beta-Propiolactone
• Propylene oxide
• Propylthiouracil
• Reserpine
• Safrole
• Selenium sulfide
• Streptozotocin
• Styrene-7,8-oxide
• Sulfallate
• Tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene)
• Tetrafluoroethylene
• Tetranitromethane
• Thioacetamide
• 4,4’-Thiodianaline
• Thiourea
• Toluene diisocyanate
• o-Toluidine and o-toluidine hydrochloride
• Toxaphene
• Trichloroethylene
• 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol
• 1,2,3-Trichloropropane
• Ultraviolet A radiation
• Ultraviolet B radiation
• Ultraviolet C radiation
• Urethane
• Vinyl bromide
• 4-Vinyl-1-cyclohexene diepoxide
• Vinyl fluoride

Additional resources

More information from your American Cancer Society

The following related information may also be helpful to you. These materials may be viewed on our web site or ordered from our toll-free number, at 1-800-ACS-2345.

• Cancer Clusters

• Environmental and Occupational Cancer Risk Factors: Overview

International organizations and Web sites*

In addition to the American Cancer Society, other sources of information include:

International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)
(Centre International de Recherche sur le Cancer (CIRC))
Web site: www.iarc.fr
IARC Carcinogen Monographs: http://monographs.iarc.fr/index.php

National Toxicology Program (NTP)
Web site: http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/
Report on Carcinogens: http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/?objectid=72016262-BDB7-CEBA-FA60E922B18C2540

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Web site: www.epa.gov
Integrated Risk Information System: http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/iris/index.cfm

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Web site: www.fda.gov
Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition: www.cfsan.fda.gov

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Web site: www.cdc.gov/niosh
NIOSH Safety and Health Topic - Cancer: www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/cancer
NIOSH Carcinogen List: www.cdc.gov/niosh/npotocca.html

*Inclusion on this list does not imply endorsement by the American Cancer Society.

No matter who you are we can help. Contact us anytime, day or night, for information and support. Call us at 1-800-ACS-2345 (1-800-227-2345) or visit www.cancer.org.

References

International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Monograph: Overall Evaluations of Carcinogenicity to Humans. 2008. Available at: http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Classification/crthall.php. Accessed August 27, 2008.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Public Health Service, National Toxicology Program. Report on Carcinogens, Eleventh Edition. 2005. Available at: http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/roc/toc11.html. Accessed August 27, 2008.

Last Medical Review: 10/08/2008
Last Revsied: 10/08/2008