Substances, mixtures and exposure circumstances in this list have been classified by the IARC

International Agency for Research on Cancer

The International Agency for Research on Cancer is an intergovernmental agency forming part of the World Health Organisation of the United Nations....

 as Group 1: The agent (mixture) is carcinogenic to humans. The exposure circumstance entails exposures that are carcinogenic to humans.
This category is used when there is sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in humans. Exceptionally, an agent (mixture) may be placed in this category when evidence of carcinogenicity in humans is less than sufficient but there is sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals and strong evidence in exposed humans that the agent (mixture) acts through a relevant mechanism of carcinogenicity.

Agents and groups of agents

• 4-Aminobiphenyl
  4-Aminobiphenyl
  4-Aminobiphenyl is an amine derivative of biphenyl. It is used to manufacture azo dyes. It is a known human carcinogen and so it has been largely replaced by less toxic compounds. It is similar to benzidine....
  
  
• Aristolochic acid
  Aristolochic acid
  Aristolochic acids are a family of carcinogenic, mutagenic, and nephrotoxic compounds commonly found in the Aristolochiaceae family of plants, including Aristolochia and Asarum, which are commonly used in Chinese herbal medicine. Aristolochic acid I is the most abundant of the aristolochic acids...
  
  
• Arsenic
  Arsenic
  Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...
  
   and arsenic compounds¹
• Asbestos
  Asbestos
  Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
  
  
• Azathioprine
  Azathioprine
  Azathioprine is a purine analogue immunosuppressive drug. It is used to prevent organ rejection following organ transplantation and to treat a vast array of autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, pemphigus, inflammatory bowel disease , multiple sclerosis, autoimmune hepatitis, atopic...
  
  
• Benzene
  Benzene
  Benzene is an organic chemical compound. It is composed of 6 carbon atoms in a ring, with 1 hydrogen atom attached to each carbon atom, with the molecular formula C6H6....
  
  
• Benzidine
  Benzidine
  Benzidine, the trivial name for 4,4'-diaminobiphenyl, is the solid organic compound with the formula 2. This aromatic amine is a component of a test for cyanide and also in the production of dyes...
  
  
• Benzo[a]pyrene
• Beryllium
  Beryllium
  Beryllium is the chemical element with the symbol Be and atomic number 4. It is a divalent element which occurs naturally only in combination with other elements in minerals. Notable gemstones which contain beryllium include beryl and chrysoberyl...
  
   and beryllium compounds²
• Chlornapazine (N,N-Bis(2-chloroethyl)-2-naphthylamine)
• Bis(chloromethyl)ether
• Chloromethyl methyl ether
  Chloromethyl methyl ether
  Chloroalkyl ethers are a class of organic compounds with the general structure R-O-n-Cl, characterized as an ether connected to a chloromethyl group via a alkane chain.Chloromethyl methyl ether is an ether with the formula...
  
  
• 1,3-Butadiene
  1,3-Butadiene
  1,3-Butadiene is a simple conjugated diene with the formula C4H6. It is an important industrial chemical used as a monomer in the production of synthetic rubber. When the word butadiene is used, most of the time it refers to 1,3-butadiene....
  
  
• 1,4-Butanediol dimethanesulfonate (Busulphan, Myleran)
• Cadmium
  Cadmium
  Cadmium is a chemical element with the symbol Cd and atomic number 48. This soft, bluish-white metal is chemically similar to the two other stable metals in group 12, zinc and mercury. Similar to zinc, it prefers oxidation state +2 in most of its compounds and similar to mercury it shows a low...
  
   and cadmium compounds²
• Chlorambucil
  Chlorambucil
  Chlorambucil is a chemotherapy drug that has been mainly used in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia...
  
  
• Methyl-CCNU (1-(2-Chloroethyl)-3-(4-methylcyclohexyl)-1-nitrosourea; Semustine)
• Chromium
  Chromium
  Chromium is a chemical element which has the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in Group 6. It is a steely-gray, lustrous, hard metal that takes a high polish and has a high melting point. It is also odorless, tasteless, and malleable...
  
  (VI) compounds²
• Ciclosporin
  Ciclosporin
  Ciclosporin , cyclosporine , cyclosporin , or cyclosporin A is an immunosuppressant drug widely used in post-allogeneic organ transplant to reduce the activity of the immune system, and therefore the risk of organ rejection...
  
  
• Contraceptives, hormonal
  Hormonal contraception
  Hormonal contraception refers to birth control methods that act on the endocrine system. Almost all methods are composed of steroid hormones, although in India one selective estrogen receptor modulator is marketed as a contraceptive. The original hormonal method—the combined oral contraceptive...
  
  , combined forms (those containing both estrogen and a progestogen)3
• Contraceptives, oral, sequential forms of hormonal contraception (a period of estrogen-only followed by a period of both estrogen and a progestogen)
• Cyclophosphamide
  Cyclophosphamide
  Cyclophosphamide , also known as cytophosphane, is a nitrogen mustard alkylating agent, from the oxazophorines group....
  
  
• Diethylstilboestrol
• Dye
  Dye
  A dye is a colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied. The dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution, and requires a mordant to improve the fastness of the dye on the fiber....
  
  s metabolized to benzidine
  Benzidine
  Benzidine, the trivial name for 4,4'-diaminobiphenyl, is the solid organic compound with the formula 2. This aromatic amine is a component of a test for cyanide and also in the production of dyes...
  
  
• Epstein-Barr virus
  Epstein-Barr virus
  The Epstein–Barr virus , also called human herpesvirus 4 , is a virus of the herpes family and is one of the most common viruses in humans. It is best known as the cause of infectious mononucleosis...
  
  
• Estrogens, nonsteroidal 1
• Estrogens, steroidal 1
• Estrogen therapy
  Hormone replacement therapy (menopause)
  Hormone replacement therapy is a system of medical treatment for surgically menopausal, perimenopausal and to a lesser extent postmenopausal women...
  
  , postmenopausal
• Ethanol
  Ethanol
  Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a...
  
   in alcoholic beverages
• Erionite
  Erionite
  Erionite is a naturally occurring fibrous mineral that belongs to a group of minerals called zeolites. It usually is found in volcanic ash that has been altered by weathering and ground water. Erionite forms brittle, wool-like fibrous masses in the hollows of rock formations and has an internal...
  
  
• Ethylene oxide
  Ethylene oxide
  Ethylene oxide, also called oxirane, is the organic compound with the formula . It is a cyclic ether. This means that it is composed of two alkyl groups attached to an oxygen atom in a cyclic shape . This colorless flammable gas with a faintly sweet odor is the simplest epoxide, a three-membered...
  
  
• Etoposide
  Etoposide
  Etoposide phosphate is an anti-cancer agent. It is known in the laboratory as a topoisomerase poison. Etoposide is often incorrectly referred to as a topoisomerase inhibitor in order to avoid using the term "poison" in a clinical setting...
  
   alone and in combination with cisplatin
  Cisplatin
  Cisplatin, cisplatinum, or cis-diamminedichloroplatinum is a chemotherapy drug. It is used to treat various types of cancers, including sarcomas, some carcinomas , lymphomas, and germ cell tumors...
  
   and bleomycin
  Bleomycin
  Bleomycin is a glycopeptide antibiotic produced by the bacterium Streptomyces verticillus. Bleomycin refers to a family of structurally related compounds. When used as an anticancer agent, the chemotherapeutical forms are primarily bleomycin A2 and B2. It works by causing breaks in DNA...
  
  
• Formaldehyde
  Formaldehyde
  Formaldehyde is an organic compound with the formula CH2O. It is the simplest aldehyde, hence its systematic name methanal.Formaldehyde is a colorless gas with a characteristic pungent odor. It is an important precursor to many other chemical compounds, especially for polymers...
  
  
• Gallium arsenide
• Helicobacter pylori
  Helicobacter pylori
  Helicobacter pylori , previously named Campylobacter pyloridis, is a Gram-negative, microaerophilic bacterium found in the stomach. It was identified in 1982 by Barry Marshall and Robin Warren, who found that it was present in patients with chronic gastritis and gastric ulcers, conditions that were...
  
   (infection with)
• Hepatitis B virus
  Hepatitis B virus
  Hepatitis B is an infectious illness caused by hepatitis B virus which infects the liver of hominoidea, including humans, and causes an inflammation called hepatitis. Originally known as "serum hepatitis", the disease has caused epidemics in parts of Asia and Africa, and it is endemic in China...
  
   (chronic infection with)
• Hepatitis C virus
  Hepatitis C virus
  Hepatitis C virus is a small , enveloped, positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus of the family Flaviviridae...
  
   (chronic infection with)
• Herbal remedies containing plant species of the genus Aristolochia
  Aristolochia
  Aristolochia is a large plant genus with over 500 species. Collectively known as birthworts, pipevines or Dutchman's pipes, they are the namesake of the family . They are widespread and occur in the most diverse climates. Some species, like A. utriformis and A...
  
  
• Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (infection with)
• Human papillomavirus
  Human papillomavirus
  Human papillomavirus is a member of the papillomavirus family of viruses that is capable of infecting humans. Like all papillomaviruses, HPVs establish productive infections only in keratinocytes of the skin or mucous membranes...
  
   type 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59 and 66
• Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I
• Melphalan
  Melphalan
  Melphalan hydrochloride is a chemotherapy drug belonging to the class of nitrogen mustard alkylating agents.An alkylating agent adds an alkyl group to DNA...
  
  
• Methoxsalen
  Methoxsalen
  Methoxsalen is a drug used to treat psoriasis, eczema, vitiligo, and some cutaneous Lymphomas in conjunction with exposing the skin to sunlight. Methoxsalen is extracted from Ammi majus, a plant of the family Apiaceae...
  
   (8-Methoxypsoralen) plus ultraviolet A radiation
• 4,4’-methylene-bis(2-chloroaniline) (MOCA)
• MOPP
  MOPP (medicine)
  MOPP is a combination chemotherapy regimen used to treat Hodgkin's disease. The acronym is derived from the component drugs of the regimen:*Mustargen...
  
   and other combined chemotherapy including alkylating agents
• Mustard gas (Sulfur mustard)
• 2-Naphthylamine
  2-Naphthylamine
  2-Naphthylamine is an aromatic amine. It is used to make azo dyes. It is a known human carcinogen and has largely been replaced by less toxic compounds. 2-Naphthylamine is prepared by heating 2-naphthol with ammonium zinc chloride to 200-210 °C; or in the form of its acetyl derivative by heating...
  
  
• Neutron radiation
  Neutron radiation
  Neutron radiation is a kind of ionizing radiation which consists of free neutrons. A result of nuclear fission or nuclear fusion, it consists of the release of free neutrons from atoms, and these free neutrons react with nuclei of other atoms to form new isotopes, which, in turn, may produce...
  
  
• Nickel compounds²
• 4-(N-Nitrosomethylamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK)
• N-Nitrosonornicotine
  N-Nitrosonornicotine
  N-Nitrosonornicotine is a nitrosamine found in tobacco that has been classified by the IARC as a Group 1 carcinogen.Although no adequate studies of the relationship between exposure to NNN and human cancer have been reported, there is sufficient evidence that NNN causes cancer in experimental...
  
   (NNN)
• Opisthorchis viverrini
  Opisthorchis viverrini
  Opisthorchis viverrini, common name Southeast Asian liver fluke, is a trematode parasite from the family Opisthorchiidae that attacks the area of the bile duct. Infection is acquired when people ingest raw or undercooked fish. It causes the disease opisthorchiasis...
  
   (infection with)
• Phosphorus
  Phosphorus
  Phosphorus is the chemical element that has the symbol P and atomic number 15. A multivalent nonmetal of the nitrogen group, phosphorus as a mineral is almost always present in its maximally oxidized state, as inorganic phosphate rocks...
  
  -32, as phosphate
• Plutonium
  Plutonium
  Plutonium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with the chemical symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation...
  
  -239 and its decay products (may contain plutonium-240 and other isotopes), as aerosols
• Radioiodines, short-lived isotopes, including iodine-131, from atomic reactor accidents and nuclear weapons detonation (exposure during childhood)
• Radionuclides, α-particle-emitting, internally deposited⁴
• Radionuclides, β-particle-emitting, internally deposited⁴
• Radium-224 and its decay products
• Radium-226 and its decay products
• Radium-228 and its decay products
• Radon-222 and its decay products
• Schistosoma haematobium
  Schistosoma haematobium
  Schistosoma haematobium is an important digenetic trematode, and is found in the Middle East, India, Portugal and Africa. It is a major agent of schistosomiasis; more specifically, it is associated with urinary schistosomiasis....
  
   (infection with)
• Silica, crystalline (inhaled in the form of quartz
  Quartz
  Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
  
   or cristobalite
  Cristobalite
  The mineral cristobalite is a high-temperature polymorph of silica, meaning that it has the same chemical formula, SiO2, but a distinct crystal structure. Both quartz and cristobalite are polymorphs with all the members of the quartz group which also include coesite, tridymite and stishovite...
  
   from occupational sources)
• Solar radiation
• Talc
  Talc
  Talc is a mineral composed of hydrated magnesium silicate with the chemical formula H2Mg34 or Mg3Si4O102. In loose form, it is the widely-used substance known as talcum powder. It occurs as foliated to fibrous masses, its crystals being so rare as to be almost unknown...
  
   containing asbestiform
  Asbestos
  Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
  
   fibres
• Tamoxifen
  Tamoxifen
  Tamoxifen is an antagonist of the estrogen receptor in breast tissue via its active metabolite, hydroxytamoxifen. In other tissues such as the endometrium, it behaves as an agonist, hence tamoxifen may be characterized as a mixed agonist/antagonist...
  
  ⁵
• 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin
• Thiotepa
  ThioTEPA
  N,N'N'-triethylenethiophosphoramide is an alkylating agent used to treat cancer.ThioTEPA is an organophosphorus compound with the formula SP3. It is an analogue of N,N',N- triethylenephosphoramide . This molecule features tetrahedral phosphorus and is structurally akin to phosphate...
  
   (1,1',1"-Phosphinothioylidynetrisaziridine)
• Thorium-232 and its decay products, administered intravenously as a colloidal dispersion of thorium-232 dioxide
  Thorotrast
  Thorotrast is a suspension containing particles of the radioactive compound thorium dioxide, ThO2, used as a contrast medium in X-ray diagnostics in the 1930s and 40s ....
  
  
• Treosulfan
  Treosulfan
  Treosulfan is a substance that is being studied in the treatment of cancer. It belongs to the family of drugs called alkylating agents.-External links:* entry in the public domain NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms...
  
  
• ortho-Toluidine
  Toluidine
  There are three isomers of toluidine, which are organic compounds. These isomers are o-toluidine, m-toluidine, and p-toluidine. The o- stands for ortho- , m- stands for meta- , and p- stands for para-...
  
  
• Vinyl chloride
  Vinyl chloride
  Vinyl chloride is the organochloride with the formula H2C:CHCl. It is also called vinyl chloride monomer, VCM or chloroethene. This colorless compound is an important industrial chemical chiefly used to produce the polymer polyvinyl chloride . At ambient pressure and temperature, vinyl chloride...
  
  
• Ultraviolet Radiation
• X-Radiation
  X-ray
  X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
  
   and Gamma radiation

Mixtures

• Aflatoxins (naturally occurring mixtures of)
• Alcoholic beverage
  Alcoholic beverage
  An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
  
  s
• Areca nut
• Betel quid with tobacco
• Betel quid without tobacco
• Coal-tar pitch
  Pitch (resin)
  Pitch is the name for any of a number of viscoelastic, solid polymers. Pitch can be made from petroleum products or plants. Petroleum-derived pitch is also called bitumen. Pitch produced from plants is also known as resin. Products made from plant resin are also known as rosin.Pitch was...
  
  es
• Coal-tars
• Household combustion of coal, indoor emissions from
• Mineral oil
  Mineral oil
  A mineral oil is any of various colorless, odorless, light mixtures of alkanes in the C15 to C40 range from a non-vegetable source, particularly a distillate of petroleum....
  
  s, untreated and mildly treated
• Phenacetin
  Phenacetin
  Phenacetin is an analgesic, once widely used; its use has declined because of its adverse effects.-History:Phenacetin was introduced in 1887, and was used principally as an analgesic, and was one of the first synthetic fever reducers to go on the market...
  
  , analgesic
  Analgesic
  An analgesic is any member of the group of drugs used to relieve pain . The word analgesic derives from Greek an- and algos ....
  
   mixtures containing
• Plants containing aristolochic acid
• Salted fish (Chinese-style)
• Shale-oils
• Soot
  Soot
  Soot is a general term that refers to impure carbon particles resulting from the incomplete combustion of a hydrocarbon. It is more properly restricted to the product of the gas-phase combustion process but is commonly extended to include the residual pyrolyzed fuel particles such as cenospheres,...
  
  s
• Tobacco
  Tobacco
  Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
  
   products, smokeless
• Wood dust

Exposure circumstances

• Aluminium
  Aluminium
  Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
  
   production
• Arsenic
  Arsenic
  Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...
  
   in drinking water
• Auramine, manufacture of
• Boot and shoe manufacture
  Shoemaking
  Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand. Traditional handicraft shoemaking has now been largely superseded in volume of shoes produced by industrial mass production of footwear, but not necessarily in quality, attention to detail, or...
  
   and repair
• Chimney sweep
  Chimney sweep
  A chimney sweep is a worker who clears ash and soot from chimneys. The chimney uses the pressure difference caused by a hot column of gas to create a draught and draw air over the hot coals or wood enabling continued combustion. Chimneys may be straight or contain many changes of direction. During...
  
  ing
• Coal gas
  Coal gas
  Coal gas is a flammable gaseous fuel made by the destructive distillation of coal containing a variety of calorific gases including hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane and volatile hydrocarbons together with small quantities of non-calorific gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen...
  
  ification
• Coal tar distillation
• Coke (fuel)
  Coke (fuel)
  Coke is the solid carbonaceous material derived from destructive distillation of low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. Cokes from coal are grey, hard, and porous. While coke can be formed naturally, the commonly used form is man-made.- History :...
  
   production
• Furniture and cabinet making
• Haematite mining (underground) with exposure to radon
  Radon
  Radon is a chemical element with symbol Rn and atomic number 86. It is a radioactive, colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas, occurring naturally as the decay product of uranium or thorium. Its most stable isotope, 222Rn, has a half-life of 3.8 days...
  
  
• Secondhand smoke
• Iron
  Iron
  Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
  
   and steel
  Steel
  Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
  
   founding
• Isopropanol manufacture (strong-acid process)
• Magenta dyes, manufacture of
• Painter
  Painting
  Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
  
   (occupational exposure as a)
• Paving and roofing with coal tar pitch
• Rubber
  Rubber
  Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
  
   industry
• Strong inorganic acid mists containing sulfuric acid
  Sulfuric acid
  Sulfuric acid is a strong mineral acid with the molecular formula . Its historical name is oil of vitriol. Pure sulfuric acid is a highly corrosive, colorless, viscous liquid. The salts of sulfuric acid are called sulfates...
  
   (occupational exposure to)
• Sunlamps and sunbed
  Sunbed
  A sunbed , tanning bed or sun tanning bed is a device which emits ultraviolet radiation to produce a cosmetic tan. Regular tanning beds use several fluorescent lamps that have phosphor blends designed to emit UV in a spectrum that is somewhat similar to the sun...
  
  s (use of)
• Tobacco smoking
  Tobacco smoking
  Tobacco smoking is the practice where tobacco is burned and the resulting smoke is inhaled. The practice may have begun as early as 5000–3000 BCE. Tobacco was introduced to Eurasia in the late 16th century where it followed common trade routes...
  
  

External links

• IARC Monographs - Classifications - Group1