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

Yes, many many things can cause cancer. The oxygen you need to live causes the cancer, smoke causes cancer, the sun causes cancer, all sorts of natural oils cause cancer.

To limit cancer risk, you just limit hazardous exposure. There’s a lot of randomness in the world – no matter what you do your cancer risk is somewhat beyond your control.