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Environment
and Disease
Cancer and Chemicals
  There is increasing evidence that many
uncontrolled chronic diseases are caused in part by exposure
to environmental chemicals. Discussions of chronic diseases
caused by chemicals usually concentrate on cancer. Cancer is
an important disease; approximately 20 percent of all people
in the United States die of cancer. We concentrate on cancer
because we know much more about it than any other chronic disease.
We have better records about cancer; it is better diagnosed
and followed than many other equally important chronic diseases.
Basically, there
are two ways to determine the causes of cancer: studying people
or studying laboratory animals. Both techniques are important
but both techniques have strengths and weaknesses. It is important
to understand these strengths, weaknesses, and limitations.
On
to Epidemiology
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