Does cancer have a smell? I wouldn't think so but apparently the most sensitive noses in the world -- those belonging to dogs -- can detect the presence of cancer with alarming accuracy, according to this. Dogs were 99% accurate at detecting lung cancer and 88% accurate at detecting breast cancer, regardless of attempts to mask the smell through food or cigarettes.

Apparently, tumors give out small amounts of alkanes and benzene, which have a slight odor, and once a dog is trained to pick up that smell, it has a good chance of detecting it in the future.

Is that amazing or what?

When I think Consumer Reports, I think of where I would turn to find out which kind of car to buy, the satisfactory rating on certain running shoes, and what cell phones are the smartest buy. But, after reading a small article about carcinogenic ingredients that have been found in some beverages, I realized that this publication contains some interesting health-related information.

In reference to the above mentioned article, it was stated that in May of 2006, the FDA announced that it had discovered benzene, a known carcinogen, in some well-known beverages, including: Crush Pineapple soda, Crystal Light Sunrise Classic Orange drink, AquaCal strawberry-flavored water, Giant Light Cranberry Juice Cocktail, and Safeway Select Diet Orange soda. Evidently, federal regulations allow up to 5 parts per billion (ppb) of benzene to be contained in beverages, but these five drinks in particular proved to have more than what it is allowed.

Benzene is formed when a mixture of substances (benzoate salts, vitamin C, and erythorbic acid) are combined. In fact, it appears as though it only needs to take a combination of benzoate salts (aka sodium benzoate) and either of the aforesaid other substances. The best way to avoid benzene consumption? First, you may want to avoid the five products that were mentioned. Second, look at the ingredient labels on other beverages. If they contain sodium benzoate and either ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) or erythorbic acid, you would be wise to opt for a glass of water instead.

On Monday, the sale of a Japanese brand of aloe juice was banned by the Department of Health after it was determined that it contains high levels of benzene -- seven times more than the World Health Organization recommends for maximum levels in water. Benzene is a colorless and flammable liquid with a sweet smell and was once used as an additive in gasoline. It is carcinogenic -- and has been cause for concern worldwide. So samples of the drink, produced by the Japansese cosmetics brand DHC, will be sent to the Bureau of Food and Drug Analysis for further investigation due to such concerns. In the meantime, the sale of this aloe juice, sold in convenience stores and through mail-order, will be suspended.

The Food and Drug Administration, FDA, announced it has identified the following soft drinks as containing high levels of benzene, a chemical known to cause cancer:

• Crush Pineapple
• Safeway Select Diet Orange
• Crystal Light Sunrise Classic Orange
• Giant Light Cranberry Juice Cocktail
• AquaCal Strawberry Flavored Water Beverage
  

Dr. Laura Tarantino, director of the FDA's Office of Food Additive Safety, said drinking sodas high in benzene does not pose a health risk -- while the people at the Environmental Working Group accuses the FDA of past and present suppression of information about benzene in soft drinks and views the benzene levels in soft drinks a problem. "FDA's test results confirm that there is a serious problem with benzene in soda and juices," said Richard Wiles, senior vice president at Environmental Working Group.

Basically, the problem is sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid, which together form benzene. Benzene is a known cancer-causing chemical.

This is a problem that has been going on for years -- both here and in Europe. Over the months we have reported on the possible cover-ups and controversy related to the cancer risks of some soft drinks and about the good guys and bad guys of this continuing story. You can read a bit of background on this issue here and here.

What is hanging so toxic in the air? According to the latest data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, benzene from cars and trucks that burn gasoline or diesel fuel. Other toxins causing higher risks for cancer where air pollution is the worst are naphthalene and acetaldehyde -- also from vehicles.

Autoblog, one of our sister blogs, has launched AutoblogGreen, which will feature posts on living an eco-friendly lifestyle in all things auto-related in green car culture. They will be keeping a close ear to the ground and fingers to the keyboard to give readers an up-to-the-minute accounting on the auto industry's efforts to create transportation that is fuel-efficient and cleaner for the environment.

From our perspective here at The Cancer Blog, transportation going green means a giant step towards a cancer prevention environment. From air pollution to alternative fuels, check AutoblogGreen out! It's a very cool, forward-thinking blog.

The UK Foods Standards Agency, FSA, has issued a recall of soft drinks after tests confirmed contamination of benzene, an established and known cancer-causing chemical. Low Calorie Bitter Lemon drink had benzene levels at up to 28 times the country’s limit for drinking water. In addition, Morrison's sugar-free pineapple, Popstar sugar-free lemon & lime, and Hyberry high juice sugar-free black currant squash were recalled.

According to BeverageDaily, the news comes one month after the US Food and Drug Administration, FDA, first revealed to BeverageDaily it had found some drinks containing benzene above the legal limit for water in the US. Both the FDA and the FSA said they believe the benzene was formed through a reaction between two common ingredients –- sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid or vitamin C -- in the drinks. A BeverageDaily investigation earlier this year confirmed that both the FDA and the American soft drinks association have known about this problem for 15 years. No public announcement was ever made, and the re-emergence of the problem suggests a communication breakdown. I would say so. Diet and sugar-free drinks are considered more at risk because sugar has been found to block the reaction leading to the formation of benzene. Beverage Daily has been on this story from the beginning, and has offered information to the public that might not have been known before the recall. It all seems to be coming to light now.

For an indepth reporting account about benzene in soft drinks, go to Beverage Daily. For a related post on this issue, read New cancer concerns about benzene levels in soft drinks.

New York and California residents breathe in the dirtiest air in the United States and face higher cancer risks than the rest of the country, according to the latest data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Oregon, Washington, D.C., and New Jersey had the third, fourth and fifth worst air in the nation. Rural residents of Wyoming, South Dakota and Montana have the cleanest air.

What is hanging so toxic in the air? Benzene from cars and trucks that burn gasoline or diesel fuel. Other toxins causing higher risks for cancer where air pollution is the worst are naphthalene and acetaldehyde, also from vehicles, and chromium, from industries.

The Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, in the first updated assessment of the nationwide health risk estimates for air toxics since 1996, reports that people who live in large cities have a 25 in a million greater chance of developing cancer than the general population. The lifetime cancer risk in transportation corridors and some other locations is greater than 50 in a million. Benzene is the most significant air toxic for which cancer risk could be estimated, contributing 25 percent of the average individual cancer risk identified in the EPA assessment. In addition, the EPA concluded that diesel exhaust is among the substances that poses the greatest relative risk. Which all helps to explain why, even though smoking is said to be the leading cause of lung cancer, many people who do not smoke cigarettes are diagnosed with lung cancer.