At the end of last month the CANSA association of South Africa launched its in-house initiative aimed at researching the environmental factors that cause cancer. The keynote address was given by Dr Devra Davis, a leading American scientist, who founded the world's first centre to focus on the environmental factors that cause cancer.

February 4th was World Cancer Day, and informed by the CANSA program, I thought it would be a good idea to look at what cancer-causing chemicals could be in the products in your home.

Many of us know that there has been an increase in the incidence of cancer in recent years. The fact is, that about 90% of cancers are environmentally determined - caused by chemicals found in our modern products and our lifestyles.

One of the most rampant groups of chemicals that are present in our water courses is xenoestrogens, much of which gets there from our household waste.

So, just what are these chemicals? Xenoestrogens are a group of chemicals that are man-made and do not occur naturally. While the debate still rages about what damage they can do to the human body, recent evidence suggests that they are linked to an increase in breast cancer. These chemicals have a much more pronounced effect on the reproductive habits of aquatic wildlife though, causing asexual characteristics and lowering fertility rates.

Xenoestrogens are included in many products such as insecticides, and plastic products, especially harder plastic containers. The chemicals are also sprayed onto crops in the form of insecticides. These run off into the environment and surrounding water courses, which you then drink! Many of our products come wrapped in plastic today. That plastic often ends up in landfill sites and the chemicals contained therein pollute the environment - one of the best arguments for recycling.

So what are the chemicals that make up this group? There are many, but some of the major ones are Bisphenol A, alkylphenols and parabens.

Bisphenol A or BPA, is found in many plastics and plastic derivatives. Many of us choose bottled water over coke, as a healthy option, but the plastic bottle your water comes in may well contain BPA, which will have tainted your water. You would be better served drinking straight from the tap. And reaching for canned soft drinks is also contentious. The plastic coatings of many cans contain BPA. Some sunscreens, cosmetics, oils and lubricants for your car, even the paint that you use to paint your house, all contain xenoestrogens.

BPA is also used (more disturbingly) as an ingredient in the plastic used for babies' bottles. This is the age when they are most affected by these chemicals which can lead to cancer and reproductive problems later in life. It is easy however to find baby bottles that are BPA free, click here for a list of where you can find them.

Alkylphenols are found in many cleaning detergents and as a basis for many fragrances (even some 'green' products manage to get away with fragrances in their composition). They are also found in products derived from petroleum. They are known to have a small effect on our hormone systems and cumulatively can lead to cancer.

A major chemical to look out for in body products, is the group known as Parabens. If any of the ingredients listed in minute writing on the product include part of the phrase paraben, perhaps you should reconsider using them as they have been linked to cancer. This is still a highly contested debate so make up your own mind. They are found in shampoos, deodorants and conditioners. Many products say fragrance or parfum and these are also warning signs that a product contains chemicals that may, collectively, and used longterm, be bad for you.

Another major source of oestrogen is in contraceptive pills. This changes your normal reproductive cycle and then passes through your body and into the environment, increasing the levels of oestrogen in our water courses. Oral contraceptives have also been linked with a higher incidence of cervical cancer and reproductive complications in women. Birth control is important but we can use other methods that do not affect our environment as much. Or natural methods like FAM.

There are many other insidious chemicals in our households. After doing some research, I picked up my deodorant and read what it contained. It had three substances in it that have been linked to a possible increase in the risk of developing cancer:
parfum, fragrance and phenols. Maybe time to reconsider my brand? Just because it says ozone-friendly and does not contain CFC's does not necessarily mean that it is good for your health.

There are over a hundred thousand chemicals in average household products, of which only around nine hundred have been tested. So why not go for environmentally friendly produced products that do not have harmful effects on both the environment and yourself?

Some of the steps that you can take to lower your cancer exposure risk, are to decrease the number of products that you use which contain these substances. Often a general ecofriendly household cleaner will also clean the toilets, floors and kitchen surfaces. And, try to avoid plastic packaged products, and buy organic produce instead. Go take a look at your beauty products - even sunscreen can do more harm than good!(a long shirt and a hat and staying out of the sun between 10am and 3pm is often the healthier option)

Eat fresh organic food as much as possible, thereby avoiding chemically tainted foods. And try to buy environmentally friendly cleaning products that contain natural or organic substances.

Even if you manage to use organic pest control and do your weeding by hand, look around your house and see which products may be making your family ill. By making our homes as environmentally friendly as possible, we are also making our homes healthier for ourselves as well.