HUMAN PROTECTION AGAINST NONGENOTOXIC CARCINOGENS IN THE US WITHOUT THE DELANEY CLAUSE

Cancers of many types are major chronic diseases with a high fatality rate and a high cost to society. In the USA, the Delaney Clause was im plemented in 1958 because the public believed that many cancers stem f rom food additives and food contaminants. In the intervening years, re search has provided key information about the mechanisms of carcinogen esis and demonstrated that there are two major classes of carcinogens, genotoxic and non-genotoxic. Two case reports are presented, of sodiu m saccharin and ethylenebisdithio-carbamates that were banned based on the Delaney Clause in an unjustified manner, based on the underlying mechanisms not relevant for non-genotoxic carcinogens. Also, the cause s of major cancers have been discovered. Most cancers are associated w ith lifestyle, specifically tobacco and excessive alcohol use, inappro priate nutritional traditions, and lack of exercise. These lifestyle c omponents involve now known genotoxic carcinogens and importantly, non genotoxic carcinogens. The effect of non-genotoxic carcinogens is high ly dose dependent and also reversible upon lowering the dose below a t hreshold. Thus, it is quite possible to lower human cancer risk, and a lso the risk of related chronic diseases such as coronary heart diseas e, hypertension and stroke, adult on-set diabetes, by proper lifestyle adjustments. Clearly, the Delaney Clause plays no role in disease pre vention.