carcinogen

noun

carcinogen

noun

/kɑɹˈsɪnəd͡ʒən/

Etymology From carcino- + -gen.

1

A substance or agent that can cause cancer.

  • We know there are substances in our environment that are proven carcinogens—ionizing radiation, electromagnetic fields, organochlorines, pesticides and herbicides.1995 October 26, Barbra Wiener, Executive Director Women's Cancer Resource Center Minneapolis, “Letter: Focus Cancer Research on Prevention”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 30 Jun 2013:
  • This isn’t the first benzene-related recall of 2021. In July, Johnson & Johnson recalled some spray-on Neutrogena and Aveeno sunscreens after it detected low levels of the carcinogen in the products.2021 November 26, Jackie Wattles, “Some Old Spice and Secret deodorants recalled after cancer-causing chemical is detected”, in CNN Business:
1 more example
  • “There is strong evidence that 76 known or potential breast carcinogens from food contact materials recently purchased all over the world can be found in people,” said study coauthor Jane Muncke, managing director and chief scientific officer at the Food Packaging Forum, a nonprofit foundation based in Zurich, Switzerland, that focuses on science communication and research.2024 September 24, Sandee LaMotte, “Chemicals linked to breast cancer leach into our foods, study finds”, in CNN:
Derived terms
anticarcinogen, biocarcinogen, carcinogenic, carcinogenicity, cocarcinogen, hepatocarcinogen, nephrocarcinogen, noncarcinogen, photocarcinogen, precarcinogen, procarcinogen
Related terms
carcinogenesis, carcinoid, carcinology, carcinoma

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.