I looked up the actual stats earlier and you’re right, it’s not quite what they say - in any given year roughly 0.5% of the population are diagnosed with cancer. However that does suggest a lifetime risk that’s much higher than you’d like.
Hepatitis B is apparently responsible for most liver cancer, but AFAIK HepB is declining in Taiwan?
No, because CO2 doesn’t cause cancer. Particulates and noise probably do.
Tommy’s right though: it really is about time to just say “stahp it”. There are so many better ways of getting around and it’s ridiculous we’re not using them.
I think this is a case of I see forest, you see trees. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. (If you really want to be fussy you can start with “USDA organic”.)
A: We’ve already invented the wheel.
B: Not necessarily. We’ve invented something round, and it seems to roll, but that doesn’t automatically make it a wheel. Just sayin’.
I’m reminded of this. They’re focusing on birth defects, not cancer, but still:
Reading the article in this thread is a cause of concern personally for me.
That is because during my last year in South Korea I was diagnosed with
Hodgkins Lymphoma. It wasn’t that bad but it was bad enough for me to
have to go through chemotherapy in Korea just to defeat it. Plus I had no
family with me and my girlfriend was not allowed to enter South Korea to
be with me during that time. To make the long story short, I returned to
Canada and finished my treatment with radiotherapy and have been in
remission since.
I had a job teaching in Canada for 2 years, and they let me go. And now
that I will be heading back to Taiwan this time for my new job, I am really
concerned because although the air quality in Taiwan is not as bad as mainland
China, the pollution levels there will pose a threat to my health. I do not want
cancer to go back into my system.
A lot of the deaths from cancer in Taiwan are from lung cancer. But I don’t
smoke so I am better off. However there are other types of cancers that can
occur caused by the higher levels of carcinogens in the air and water.
As for food, even that is a factor. I am a vegetarian, and inspite of the fact that
vegetarians/vegans are less likely to get cancer, even I as a vegetarian am not
immune from cancer. There are even natural or processed foods not made from
animal flesh that are contaminated to the point of causing cancer.
So when I return to Taiwan. I really need to be vigilant with my health.
Thanks for the advice.
Even when I first came to Taiwan 10 years ago
I was very wise never to chew these betel nuts.
I glimpsed into the mouths of men in Taiwan
who chew these thing, they looked disgusting.
There’s no way Taiwan has more cancer deaths than China. There are entire towns where half the population has cancer in China because of toxic chemicals from factories.
Coumarin is a compound found naturally in several plant species.
It can be harmful in large doses.
In rodents, coumarin is known to cause kidney, liver and lung damage. It may even cause cancer. In humans, there are isolated incidents of similar effects (11Trusted Source, 12Trusted Source).
Cassie cinnamon is used heavily in TCM. It tastes of vanilla. It affects your liver, kidneys and lungs.
Coumarin is often found in artificial vanilla substitutes, despite having been banned as a food additive in numerous countries since the mid-20th century. It is still used as a legal flavorant in soaps, rubber products, and the tobacco industry,[1] particularly for sweet pipe tobacco and certain alcoholic drinks.
But then it can also be used in anti-cancer agents
Makes you wonder. Living in Taiwan is like winning a gold medal a Olympic cancer decathlon gold medal . Can you survive all events.
. Can you survive all events.