Many people don't know that there are two carcinogenic gases in the home that are quietly endangering your health!
And, even more dangerously, the concentrations of these two carcinogenic gases spike over the weekend!
How to avoid it? You must master this effective method!
These two gases in the home can actually cause cancer!
These two carcinogenic gases do not only exist in one corner of the home, but from the kitchen to the bedroom, and even in the bathroom!
Moreover, they also have a characteristic, that is, the more people in the house on weekends, the higher the concentration of these two carcinogenic gases!
1. Carcinogenic gas 1: nitrogen dioxide 1
The first gas is nitrogen dioxide.
Nitrogen dioxide is a nitrogen oxide with a unique sour odor, particularly pungent, and is very soluble in water, which will form nitric acid, which is also one of the main causes of acid rain.
Long-term exposure to high concentrations of nitrogen dioxide not only makes you more susceptible to Parkinson's disease, but also has a high risk of cancer!
An article published in 2021 showed that the longer the exposure to nitrogen dioxide, the higher the risk of developing Parkinson's disease.
The hazards of nitrogen dioxide have been described in detail in other studies, including:
Induce cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases such as stroke;
induce cancer;
induce preterm fetal birth and fetal congenital heart disease;
Induce high blood pressure, etc.
There is not only dangerous nitrogen dioxide in the home, but also a carcinogenic gas, which is even less easy to detect!
2. Carcinogenic gas 2: volatile organic compounds
If the first gas is induced by one of the things you must do every day, then the second gas is more likely to appear in the homes of people who love to be clean.
It is volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are a large group of substances, including benzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, aromatic amines, etc.
The United States Lung Association has issued an article saying that long-term inhalation of volatile organic compounds can cause damage and irritate the eyes, nose, throat and lungs.
At the same time, many studies have confirmed their danger: most VOCs are toxic, and some VOCs are carcinogenic.
A 2004 study showed that people who were regularly exposed to VOCs had a higher lifetime risk of cancer.
Seeing this, everyone must be wondering, how did these two gases get into our homes, and the concentration is even higher on the weekend?
After researching a large amount of literature, Emma discovered a shocking fact: the two things you do at home, especially on weekends, unknowingly release these two carcinogenic gases!
These two behaviors release carcinogenic gases!
1. More fire on weekends: more release of carcinogenic gas - nitrogen dioxide
First, let's talk about why nitrogen dioxide appears at home.
A 2024 Stanford University study showed that when you cook on a gas stove, you release high concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, and even if you turn off the heat, nitrogen dioxide stays in the bedroom for hours!
There are more fires and more opportunities on weekends, so more carcinogenic gases are released from gas stoves on weekends.
In the study, the researchers measured the nitrogen dioxide concentrations of more than 100 homes of different sizes and layouts before and after using gas stoves, and found that more than half of the kitchens, bedrooms, and living rooms exceeded the standard values when only one gas stove was turned on for 1 hour without turning on the range hood.
In addition, it is sad that the concentration of nitrogen dioxide is also related to the size of the house! People living in an area of less than 75 square meters are exposed to nitrogen dioxide levels twice the national average in a year, and four times more nitrogen dioxide than those living in houses over 280 square meters.
Gas stoves can not only release nitrogen dioxide, benzene is also one of the carcinogenic gases released by gas stoves.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer defines benzene as a Group 1 known human carcinogen. Studies have found that long-term exposure to benzene increases the occurrence of leukemia and lymphoma. Not only that, short-term benzene exposure can inhibit the production of blood cells, but the carcinogenic effects of benzene exposure follow a linear dose-response curve, which means that any degree of benzene exposure increases the risk of leukemia and lymphoma!
How to solve it? The solution is also given in the article – the use of a range hood can reduce the concentration of nitrogen dioxide in the kitchen by 10 to 70 percent.
At the same time, we can also close the bedroom and kitchen doors, open the kitchen windows, maintain good ventilation, and try to use an oven or induction cooker instead of a gas stove to reduce the concentration of harmful gases.
2. There is more cleaning on weekends, and more carcinogenic gases - volatile organic compounds are released
On weekends, a lot of people are cleaning, and the cleaning products you use are likely to have carcinogenic volatile organic compounds in them.
One study showed that almost all cleaning products in the home can release hundreds of volatile organic compounds when used.
According to the study, all products together released a total of 530 volatile organic compounds, 193 of which are serious hazards to our health, even more than the volatile organic compounds in cigarette smoke (about 400).
Emma suggests that when cleaning on weekends, try to open windows for ventilation to avoid these volatile organic compounds affecting our bodies.
Having said so many harms, in addition to physical methods to reduce the concentration of carcinogenic gases, there is actually another way to reduce our risk of cancer, and it has been recognized by Harvard University, that is, eat one more fruit!
This fruit, eaten one a day, reduces the risk of cancer by 20%!
Many people refer to apples as the "rice of the fruit world", and this cancer-proof fruit certified by Harvard University is actually apples!
A study conducted by the Marcus Institute on Aging, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, showed that flavonoids such as quercetin in apple and blackberry species can protect cells from free radicals by fighting oxidative stress and thus preventing cancer.
A study published in the United States Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that daily consumption of flavonol-rich foods, especially apples and blackberries, reduced cancer risk, and found that eating 10mg more flavonols per day (1 apple is enough) can reduce cancer risk by 20%.