There are advertisements on TV extolling the goodness of high fructose corn syrup.
Yeah, I've seen them. Is there conclusive proof that it causes cancer?
The fact of the matter is there are hundreds of things out there that have cancer causing agents that you can eat, drink, breathe, touch, etc. My mother worked in a cancer research department at a hospital for years and genetics plays a huge role as to whether or not you get cancer. Most people who end up with it are predisposed to it genetically and likely had family members that died from it. Obviously, there are other ways to get it like smoking, but the bottom line is plenty of people go through life without ever getting cancer who lead perfectly regular lives like all of us.
There have been so many studies and claims over the years that have said this will give you cancer or that will give you cancer, etc. If we adhered to every single warning there'd be nothing left for us to eat and we'd be wearing UV proof space suits outside breathing purified oxygen.
In many cases the government has overreacted to risks and sometimes they've been proven wrong later on. Malaria was virtually wiped out in Africa due to the use of the chemical DDT until Rachel Carson came along and started screaming about it causing cancer. So they stopped using DDT and millions of people in Africa began dying again from Malaria. Skeptics started studies where some of the subjects ingested a teaspoon of DDT a day for periods of a year or longer and never got sick from it. The UN finally reversed its DDT ban in 2006.
Look at the whole issue with asbestos. Yes, if you are exposed to open asbestos and are breathing it in day in and day out for years without protective equipment you can end up with Mesothelioma, but having asbestos in your office building or you kid's school where it is up inside the walls as a fire retardant and not exposed isn't going to do shit to anyone. Yet, how many billions of dollars were spent removing asbestos from buildings where it wasn't the least bit harmful? I've read a few opinions that speculated had asbestos been used in the World Trade Center it may not have collapsed.
Don't use saccharin; you'll get cancer. Don't reuse a plastic water bottle; you'll get cancer. Basically, don't be born, because being born might cause cancer.
So my response to the OP is that it's walking down a slippery slope. You can't safe guard life and who the hell would want to anyway?
