Acrylamide and Cancer Risk

Interest in the health effects of acrylamide peaked in the early 2000s when it was found in food. Studies suggest that acrylamide might cause cancer in some settings, but results from studies in people are not clear.

Acrylamide is a chemical used in many industrial processes and products, including wastewater treatment; the making of dyes, paper, and soil stabilizers used in construction; and in some personal care products, fabrics, and food packaging.

Acrylamide can also form during burning or high-heat processes. For example, it is produced when tobacco burns, which is why acrylamide is found in cigarette smoke. It can also form in certain types of starchy foods when they are cooked at high temperatures.

How are people exposed to acrylamide?

Most people are exposed to acrylamide through tobacco smoke and certain foods. For people who smoke, tobacco smoke is their main exposure. For those who don’t smoke, food is the main source of exposure.

Acrylamide can form when certain types of starchy foods are cooked. In general, acrylamide levels rise in some foods when cooked at higher temperatures, such as when frying or roasting, and the level may vary when they are cooked for longer periods.

Cooked foods that contain higher levels of acrylamide include:

• Coffee (with differences by coffee variety and processing)
• French fries
• Potato chips
• Breakfast cereals
• Crackers, bread, and cookies
• Canned black olives
• Prune juice

People who work in industries where acrylamide is used can be exposed by inhaling it or getting it on their skin.

Does acrylamide cause cancer?

Concerns that acrylamide might cause a number of health problems, including cancer, have been around for many years.

What do studies show?

Researchers try to determine if a substance causes cancer using 2 main types of studies:

• Studies in people (epidemiologic studies)
• Lab studies (studies done using lab animals or cells in lab dishes)

Often neither type of study provides conclusive evidence on its own, so both human and lab-based studies are reviewed when trying to figure out if something causes cancer.

Studies in people

So far, studies in people looking for a link between acrylamide and cancer have not given consistent results. Some studies have suggested a possible link, but others have not.

Acrylamide in food: Studies that focus on acrylamide in food either haven’t shown an increased risk for most cancers or have had mixed findings. A few studies have suggested that ingestion of higher amounts of acrylamide may be linked with a small increased risk for premenopausal breast cancer. But the findings have not been consistent, and only a small number of studies have been done, so more research is needed.

It is not clear how much acrylamide a person would need to ingest to increase cancer risk. Studies continue to try to clarify this issue and to see whether acrylamide in foods might be linked to other types of cancer.

Acrylamide in tobacco smoke: Acrylamide is just 1 of thousands of chemicals in tobacco smoke, which includes at least 70 known cancer-causing substances. Extensive research has established that tobacco smoke causes several types of cancer, but it’s not clear whether acrylamide plays a role in this.

Acrylamide exposure at work: There have been only a few studies of acrylamide exposure in the workplace. Two of those studies have suggested an increased risk of pancreatic cancer in acrylamide production workers. However, these findings are considered inconclusive because they were based on a small number of cases and did not adjust for other factors that may explain this link.

Lab studies

Lab studies show that acrylamide can cause a number of different types of cancer in animals when given at high levels. It is not clear how the study results translate to humans, as the doses of acrylamide given to the rats in these studies were much higher than would be eaten in a typical human diet.

What do expert agencies say?

Several national and international agencies study substances in the environment to determine if they might cause cancer. In general, the American Cancer Society does not determine whether something should be considered a carcinogen (something that can cause cancer). Instead, we look to other respected organizations for help with this.

Based on animal and human evidence, several expert agencies have evaluated the cancer-causing potential of acrylamide.

• The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies acrylamide as “probably carcinogenic to humans.”
• The US National Toxicology Program (NTP) has classified acrylamide as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.”
• The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies acrylamide as “likely to be carcinogenic to humans.”

It’s important to note that these determinations are based mainly on studies in lab animals, and not on studies of people’s exposure to acrylamide from foods. Since the discovery of acrylamide in foods in 2002, the American Cancer Society, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and many other organizations have recognized the need for further research on this topic.

To learn more about how cancer causes are studied and classified, see Determining if Something Is a Carcinogen and Known and Probable Human Carcinogens.

Are acrylamide levels regulated?

The amount of acrylamide in food and tobacco is not currently regulated because it forms naturally during high-temperature cooking or burning, rather than being an ingredient. However, the FDA has issued guidance to help the food industry reduce the amount of acrylamide in certain foods. These are recommendations, not regulations.

Acrylamide breaks down quickly in the environment, so it usually doesn’t stick around for long. However, it can get into the water supply when industrial waste containing acrylamide is released into rivers, lakes, or sewage systems before it fully breaks down.

The EPA regulates acrylamide in drinking water. The EPA has set limits on the amount of acrylamide that can be in municipal drinking water, taking into account current data relating acrylamide to cancer and other health effects.

In the workplace, exposure to acrylamide is regulated by the EPA and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Can I avoid or limit my exposure to acrylamide?

For most people, the major sources of acrylamide exposure are tobacco smoke and certain foods.

Staying away from tobacco (including secondhand smoke) can lower your exposure to this and other harmful chemicals.

If you’re concerned about acrylamide in your food, here are some ways to lower your exposure:

• Limit foods that might be high in acrylamide, such as potato products (especially french fries and potato chips), coffee, and foods made from grains (such as breakfast cereals, cookies, and toast).
• Limit certain cooking methods, such as frying and roasting, and limit the time these foods are cooked. Boiling and steaming do not produce acrylamide.
• Soak raw potato slices in water for 15 to 30 minutes first to reduce acrylamide formation if you plan to fry or roast them.
• If frying potatoes or toasting bread, cook them to a lighter color rather than dark brown, which produces less acrylamide.
• Avoid storing potatoes in the refrigerator as this can result in increased acrylamide levels during cooking.

If you work in an industry where acrylamide is used, be sure that you are familiar with the safety practices and precautions used. You might want to ask your manager for safety information about this chemical.