eli5: Why does it seem like everything is carcinogenic and does that mean if it is, it causes cancer?

Question

I feel like I am always hearing about how things are carcinogenic, like red meat or air conditioners or aspartame. Why does it seem like *so* many things are carcinogenic and does that mean they cause cancer? Because it’s starting to feel like everything causes cancer…

This is the type of thing that gets my anxiety going so I’d love if someone who understands this better than I do can explain it.

In: 354

Answer 1

Being alive causes cancer. Your immune system is continually finding and killing problematic cells. So many things can affect your body in different ways. The reality is that we don’t always know exactly what risks or links there are, so it’s easier just to slap labels on everything. Unless you are causing widespread irreversible damage to your DNA, you’re probably going to be alright. Just stay out of nuclear reactors, don’t eat 4 million bananas at once, and use sunscreen!