|
RELATIVE RISK OF GETTING CANCER1
|
Risk |
Source
(Daily Exposure) |
Carcinogen |
|
0.3
|
Coffee (1 cup) |
Hydrogen peroxide |
|
0.4 |
Bread and grain products (average U.S.
diet) |
Ethylene dibromide |
|
0.5 |
Food with pesticides (average U.S. diet) |
PCBs, DDE/DDT |
|
1.0 |
Average municipal water supply (1 liter) |
Chloroform |
|
4.0 |
Most contaminated well in Silicon Valley,
CA (1 liter) |
Trichloroethylene |
|
8.0 |
Swimming in a pool (1 hour for a child) |
Chloroform |
|
9.0 |
Cooked bacon (100 grams) |
Dimethylnitrosamine |
|
30 |
Comfrey herbal tea (1 cup) |
Symphytine |
|
30 |
Peanut butter (1 sandwich) |
Aflatoxin |
|
60 |
Diet cola (12 oz.) |
Sacchrin |
|
70 |
Brown mustard (5 grams) |
Allyl isothiosamine |
|
90 |
Shrimp (100 grams) |
Formaldehyde |
|
100 |
Mushroom (1, raw) |
Hydrazines |
|
100 |
Basil (1 gram, dried) |
Estragole |
|
300 |
Pain relief pill (300 mg.) |
Phenacetin |
|
400 |
Bread (2 slices) |
Formaldehyde |
|
604 |
Breathing air at home (14 hours) |
Formaldehyde |
|
2,700 |
Regular cola (12 oz.) |
Formaldehyde |
|
2,800 |
Beer (12 oz.) |
Ethyl alcohol |
|
4,700 |
Wine (1 glass) |
Ethyl alcohol |
|
5,800 |
Breathing air at work (8 hours) |
Formaldehyde |
|
16,000 |
Sleeping pill (60 mg.) |
Phenobarbital |
1 Source: B.N. Ames, R. Magaw, and L.S. Gold, 1987,
"Ranking Possible Carcinogenic Hazards";
Science, Vol. 236, pp. 271-236.
|