Forever Chemicals and Public Health

Cancers are rising and rising fast in India. The Indian Council of Medical Research’s National Cancer Registry Programme estimated a 12% increase between 2020 and 2025. This year, cancer numbers were estimated to hit 15.7 lakh. A worrying trend in this rise, is the spike in cancer cases among young persons. We know of and we are battling risk factors such as tobacco use, alcohol consumption and obesity and while these are still responsible for a significant chunk of cancers in India, other factors such as environmental pollution are now also beginning to play a role. Air pollution, forever chemicals in our water and soil and the increasing consumption of ultra-processed food are all being studied for their links to cancer. How much do we know about these factors? What does the research say about their links to cancer? Could some of these chemicals be responsible for the rise in cancers in India? What can we, as individuals do, about this?

Guest: Dr. Krithiga Shridhar, head, cancer epidemiology unit, Centre for Chronic Disease Control. New Delhi

Host: Zubeda Hamid

Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian.

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