Compound Interest: cancer

What do the IARC’s carcinogen classifications actually mean?

July 14, 2023 68Comments 10Likes 2863Views

Infographic on the IARC carcinogen classification system. Classifications are shown along with example substances that fall within each category. Classifications range from group 1 (carcinogenic to humans) to group 4 (probably not carcinogenic).

Alcohol: Well known to be carcinogenic to humans. Despite this, a large proportion of the population drink it regularly. More surprisingly, whenever the International Agency for Research on Cancer updates its carcinogen classifications for other substances with a lower cancer risk, there’s often media fanfare. In recent years, the IARC has upgraded classifications for red meat and aspartame, leading to a spate of panicked articles. This republished and updated post takes a look at what the classification groups actually mean, and how worried we should be about a substance’s classification.

How the sun affects our skin: vitamin D, sunburn and skin cancer – in C&EN

July 19, 2021 0Comments 1Like 202Views

Click to view the full graphic on the C&EN site

Summers are filled with sunny days to enjoy the outdoors, but you need to bring along the proper sun protection to prevent skin damage. The latest edition of Periodic Graphics in Chemical & Engineering News looks at the chemistry the sun triggers in our skin. View the full graphic on the C&EN site.

#NationalTattooDay – Tattoo colourants and concerns

July 17, 2020 0Comments 4Likes 249Views

Infographic on tattoo chemistry, colourants and concerns. Tattoo ink contains carriers and colourants. Historically, ground up minerals were used as tattoo pigments, but today most colourants are organic compounds, primarily azo dyes. Some of these pigments break down into compounds with known health concerns, though a causative link between tattoos and cancer has not been established. — Click to enlarge

A lot of people have tattoos: an estimated 12% of Europeans and 24% of Americans. What’s in tattoo ink, and how are different coloured tattoos produced? This graphic for National Tattoo Day (July 17) takes a look.

The 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine: How our cells sense and adapt to oxygen levels

October 7, 2019 1Comment 0Likes 227Views

Today saw the first of the 2019 Nobel Prizes awarded. The 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to William G. Kaelin Jr, Sir Peter J. Ratcliffe and Gregg L. Semenza “for their discoveries of how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability.” This graphic takes a look at the prize-winning research.

The 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine: Unleashing our immune systems against cancer

October 1, 2018 1Comment 0Likes 177Views

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Today saw the first of the 2018 Nobel Prizes awarded. The 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo for their discovery of cancer therapy by stimulating the immune system to attack tumour cells. This graphic takes a look at the prize-winning research.

C&EN – Platinum drugs for cancer preview

40 years of platinum drugs for cancer – in C&EN

September 17, 2018 0Comments 0Likes 232Views

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2018 marks 40 years since the FDA first approved cisplatin, a platinum-containing drug to treat cancer. This month’s edition of Periodic Graphics in Chemical & Engineering News looks at how it works and some of the other platinum-containing drugs that followed. Click through to see the full version of the graphic on the C&EN site.