Carcinogen
A carcinogen is all substance, radionuclide, or radiation that promotes carcinogenesis, the layout of cancer. This may be due to a ability to waste the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes. Several radioactive substances are considered carcinogens, but their carcinogenic activity is attributed to the radiation, for example gamma rays as well as alpha particles, which they emit. Common examples of non-radioactive carcinogens are inhaled asbestos,dioxins, and tobacco smoke. Although the public broadly associates carcinogenicity with synthetic chemicals, this is the equally likely to arise from both natural and synthetic substances. Carcinogens are non necessarily immediately toxic; thus, their issue can be insidious.
Cancer is all disease in which normal cells are damaged and earn not undergo programmed cell death as fast as they divide via mitosis. Carcinogens may include the risk of cancer by altering cellular metabolism or damaging DNA directly in cells, which interferes with biological processes, and induces the uncontrolled, malignant division, ultimately main to the cut of tumors. Usually, severe DNA loss leads to programmed cell death, but if the programmed cell death pathway is damaged, then the cell cannot prevent itself from becoming a cancer cell.
There are many natural carcinogens. Aflatoxin B1, which is gave by the fungus Aspergillus flavus growing on stored grains, nuts and peanut butter, is an example of a potent, naturally occurring microbial carcinogen.viruses such as hepatitis B and human papilloma virus hold been found to cause cancer in humans. The first one exposed to cause cancer in animals is Rous sarcoma virus, discovered in 1910 by Peyton Rous. Other infectious organisms which cause cancer in humans add some bacteria e.g. Helicobacter pylori and helminths e.g. Opisthorchis viverrini and Clonorchis sinensis.
Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds, benzene, kepone, EDB, and asbestos have all been classified as carcinogenic. As far back as the 1930s, industrial smoke and tobacco smoke were transmitted as sources of dozens of carcinogens, including benzo[a]pyrene, tobacco-specific nitrosamines such as nitrosonornicotine, and reactive aldehydes such as formaldehyde, which is also a hazard in embalming and devloping plastics. Vinyl chloride, from which PVC is manufactured, is a carcinogen and thus a hazard in PVC production.
Co-carcinogens are chemicals that do not necessarily cause cancer on their own, but promote the activity of other carcinogens in causing cancer.
After the carcinogen enters the body, the body provides an attempt to eliminate it through a process called biotransformation. The purpose of these reactions is to make the carcinogen more water-soluble so that it can be removed from the body. However, in some cases, these reactions can also convert a less toxic carcinogen into a more toxic carcinogen.
DNA is nucleophilic; therefore, soluble carbon electrophiles are carcinogenic, because DNA attacks them. For example, some alkenes are toxicated by human enzymes to produce an electrophilic epoxide. DNA attacks the epoxide, and is bound permanently to it. it is for mechanism behind the carcinogenicity of benzo[a]pyrene in tobacco smoke, other aromatics, aflatoxin and mustard gas.
Carcinogenicity: Ability or tendency to produce cancer.
Note: In general, polymers are not invited as carcinogens or mutagens,however, residual monomers or additives can cause genetic mutations.