{"id":669902,"date":"2026-07-02T14:08:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T14:08:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/669902\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T14:08:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T14:08:12","slug":"oncologist-lists-10-common-household-items-linked-to-cancer-pans-to-bottles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/669902\/","title":{"rendered":"Oncologist lists 10 common household items linked to cancer – pans to bottles"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr Jiri Kubes has explained items and habits to remove from your home to lower the cancer riskNeil Shaw<\/a> Assistant Editor (Money and Lifestyle)<\/p>\n

09:20, 02 Jul 2026Updated 09:37, 02 Jul 2026<\/p>\n

\"You<\/p>\n

You need to check your pans for damage<\/p>\n

From old non-stick frying pans to DIY dust and disposable plastic bottles left baking in the sun, a leading cancer doctor has listed the everyday household items and habits he\u2019d think twice about if he wanted to reduce unnecessary cancer risks. While no single product in your home is guaranteed to cause cancer, experts say reducing exposure to well-established risk factors where possible can play an important role in protecting your long-term health.<\/p>\n

Dr Jiri Kubes, radiation oncologist and Medical Director at Proton Therapy Center<\/a>, said: \u201cPeople often assume cancer prevention is about one dramatic lifestyle change, but in reality it\u2019s usually lots of small, sensible decisions that add up over time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t eliminate cancer risk completely, but we can reduce our exposure to certain avoidable hazards and make healthier choices every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doctors find a way of making us young again, eating like a Greek slashes heart disease risk, and cure for deadly cancer found at the bottom of the sea – all this and more in our science newsletter<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Plastic<\/p>\n

Plastic drink bottles in a recycling bin<\/p>\n

The 10 things a cancer doctor would remove or change<\/p>\n

1. Damaged non-stick frying pans<\/p>\n

If the non-stick coating is scratched, peeling or flaking, Dr Kubes says it\u2019s time to replace it.<\/p>\n

\u201cModern non-stick cookware is generally considered safe when used correctly, but damaged pans should be replaced and it\u2019s sensible to avoid overheating them unnecessarily.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Disposable plastic bottles left in the heat<\/p>\n

Leaving single-use plastic bottles baking in hot cars or direct sunlight isn\u2019t something Dr Kubes recommends.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d avoid repeatedly reusing disposable plastic bottles, particularly after they\u2019ve been exposed to high temperatures. It\u2019s a simple change that helps reduce unnecessary chemical exposure.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Heavily charred barbecue food<\/p>\n

Summer barbecues are fine, but blackened meat shouldn\u2019t become a regular habit.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cWhen meat is cooked at very high temperatures until it\u2019s heavily charred, chemicals called HCAs and PAHs can form. You don\u2019t need to avoid barbecues, but try not to regularly eat burnt meat.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. DIY dust<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re sanding wood, cutting concrete or drilling into walls, fine dust is something Dr Kubes takes seriously.<\/p>\n

\u201cCertain dusts, including silica dust, are known health hazards. Good ventilation and appropriate respiratory protection during DIY projects are always sensible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Barbecue<\/p>\n

Barbecue food has been linked to cancer<\/p>\n

5. Damaged asbestos in older homes<\/p>\n

Many older properties still contain asbestos.<\/p>\n

Dr Kubes said: \u201cAsbestos isn\u2019t usually dangerous if it\u2019s left undisturbed, but if fibres are released during renovation work they can significantly increase the risk of serious lung diseases, including mesothelioma.\u201d<\/p>\n

6. Poor kitchen ventilation<\/p>\n

Cooking, particularly at high temperatures, creates airborne particles that build up indoors.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething as simple as using an extractor fan or opening windows while cooking can improve indoor air quality.\u201d<\/p>\n

7. Radon in higher-risk areas<\/p>\n

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas and the second biggest cause of lung cancer after smoking.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost people never think about radon, but if you live in an area where it\u2019s more common it\u2019s worth checking whether your home should be tested.\u201d<\/p>\n

8. Cigarettes<\/p>\n

Smoking remains the single biggest preventable cause of cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf there was one habit I\u2019d remove completely, it would be smoking. There really isn\u2019t a safe level of tobacco exposure, including second-hand smoke.\u201d<\/p>\n

9. Too much alcohol in the house<\/p>\n

Dr Kubes says alcohol is a recognised risk factor for several cancers.<\/p>\n

\u201cKeeping alcohol for special occasions rather than everyday drinking can make it easier to reduce your overall intake.\u201d<\/p>\n

10. A home that makes unhealthy choices easy<\/p>\n

The final change isn\u2019t about removing an object at all.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d make healthy living the easiest option. Keep fruit where you can see it, wear sunscreen, stay physically active, avoid smoking and limit alcohol. Those habits have far more impact on cancer risk than many people realise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr Kubes added: \u201cI don\u2019t want people to become anxious about every item in their home. Cancer is a complex disease with many different causes, and there is rarely one single factor responsible.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe important message is that many of the biggest cancer risks are modifiable. Small, practical changes repeated consistently over many years really can make a difference to your overall health.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dr Jiri Kubes has explained items and habits to remove from your home to lower the cancer riskNeil…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":669903,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[235,88632,847,59,102,2750,21978,8667,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-669902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-alcohol","tag-asbestos","tag-cancer","tag-gb","tag-health","tag-heart-disease","tag-lung-cancer","tag-therapy","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/669902","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=669902"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/669902\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/669903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=669902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=669902"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=669902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}