Don't live - or the Big C might kill you

Planning to use your cellphone or hair removal products, eat a variety of foods or even breathe today?

Well, look out - you might be in danger of cancer.

One of New Zealand's biggest killers, cancer - which kills a quarter of the population aged over 45 - or even just the risk of cancer has always been a hot topic.

The soy sauce cancer scare is not the first and will not be the last. And a look through the past 13 years of Herald files found it is not the most unusual by any means.

Take broccoli, for example. In 1988, research from the University of California reportedly found broccoli contained high levels of dioxin, which may cause lung cancer. But 10 years on, scientists in Seattle recommend eating more broccoli to reduce the risk of prostate cancer.

Apparently apples may also cause cancer. So might peanut butter and celery.

A public health commission report in 1994 said burned or charred meat was probably causing cancer in thousands of New Zealanders each year.

Even if you don't burn meat, you may be in trouble. Some research has found you will be 20 times more likely to develop bowel cancer if your diet is full of red meat and fat, rather than a diet of plants - omitting broccoli to be safe, of course.

Combine that with beer and the risk is doubled.

Speaking of beer, in 1989 British researchers found drinking seven pints of beer a week tripled your risk of pancreatic cancer.

Switching to water will not help.

In 1988, London's antiquated water pipes triggered a cancer scare when the drinking water was found to contained five times the legal limit of tar pollutant from the old steel and cast iron water mains.

So eating and drinking is out.

Celebrating will have to go, too, especially if you are a New Mexican Indian. Apparently many cases of lung cancer in this ethnic group have been attributed to chemicals in the product that whitens moccasins for ceremonial dances.

You might not be safe at work. A report from the US Transportation Department in 1990 said airline crews and people making more than 100 flights a year for 20 years or more were likely to develop cancer, because of exposure to higher levels of radiation through being closer to the sun.

So, stay at home? No, that can be fatal too. In 1989, a Dutch environmental group claimed up to 400 people died each year from cancer caused by radioactive gases trapped in modern houses - modern houses being defined as those without underfloor ventilation.

Other scares have involved birth-control pills, hair removal products, hair dye and anti-perspirant, although the Cancer Society firmly quashed rumours of the last causing breast cancer.

Don't breathe if you live in Auckland or Christchurch. A 1997 study warned that benzene levels in the air in these cities exceeded international safety guidelines and could increase the leukaemia risk.

But there is some hope. Carrots, garlic, onions and baked beans all supposedly cut the risk of cancer.

But some of the "cures," as well as the causes, should be taken with a grain of salt ... if it's safe to take salt.