Asbestos, Cigarettes And Bacon Are All...

[Phocus]

I was doing some research and came across this page by the World Health Organization's cancer research division (International Agency for Research on Cancer).  "Red meat", defined as, all mammalian muscle meat, to include:

• beef
• veal
• pork
• lamb
• mutton
• horse
• goat

Was categorized as a Group 2A (the second most conclusive group) human carcinogen and is described as "probably carcinogenic to humans".

The real shocker was the processed meats category, defined as, "...meat that has been transformed through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, or other processes to enhance flavor or improve preservation." to include:

• Hot Dogs
• Ham
• Sausages
• Bacon
• Corned Beef
• Beef Jerky
• Biltong
• Canned Meat
• Meat-based preparations and sauces

Joined Tobacco Smoke and Asbestos as a Group 1 (the most conclusive group) human carcinogen and is described as "evidence concludes that it can cause cancer in humans" and "an analysis of data from 10 studies estimated that every 50 gram [about 2 ounce] portion of processed meat eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer [colon cancer] by about 18%."  and when asked if there was a safe quantity of meat to eat they said "The risk increases with the amount of meat consumed, but the data available for evaluation did not permit a conclusion about whether a safe level exists."

The classifications describe the strength of the scientific evidence about an agent being a cause of cancer, rather than assessing the level of risk associated with being exposed to the carcinogen but, pretty shocking that the World Health Organization concluded such a direct correlation between processed meat consumption and cancer.

Source here:

http://www.who.int/features/qa/cancer-red-meat/en/