Cancer, a condition resulting from abnormal cell division presents more than 100 types of cancer named after the organ or cell type from which they originate. Irregular splitting up of cells that afterward attacks various body tissues normally causes Cancer diseases. Cancer stretches to various body parts with time making the cancerous cells malignant. If not treated immediately after diagnosis, it can cause complicated illnesses that can cause death. The leading cause of deaths is cancer with almost two-thirds of it being caused by ecological factors. There are various environmental causes of cancer with the term environment referring to the external environment as well as the personal environment.

In order to answer the question what causes cancer, it is vital to know that these factors can be both external as well as personal. External environmental causes of cancer identify those environmental pollutants, which increase the cancer risk. Over 85 percent of cancers cases arise owing to lifestyle preferences individuals make placing them at high risks of developing cancer. For instance, tobacco causes over 30 percent cancer deaths. The risk of developing cancer due to environmental factors is incomparable. Ultra violet rays from the sun, sunlamps and tanning beds cause different skin cancer types such as melanoma. Various environmental causes of cancer amount from people’s way of life and exposure to agents found in the water or air.

Over years, epidemiologists have estimated the new cancer cases and death percentages caused by environmental agents. For instance, about 30% cancer deaths are attributed to tobacco. Other cancer cases are caused by water and air pollution, occupations, medical procedures and medicine. When establishing what environmental factors cause cancer, it is important to bear in mind some of these environmental factors. Another environmental cause of cancer is ionizing radiation. Exposure to radiation from sources like radon, cosmic rays, atomic bombs, nuclear bomb tests done on the ground and X-ray is a cause of cancer.

Carcinogens are materials that increase the chances or risk of cancer. When determining what environmental factors cause cancer, consider environmental carcinogens. These carcinogens may make direct or indirect damages to the DNA and may cause cancer. This is a probable explanation as to why not every environmental exposure to carcinogens may cause cancer. The time span of the exposure and its intensity is also a determining factor of whether one will develop cancer. A number of known environmental carcinogens include chemical surfactants, water or air pollution, and various infectious agents like parasites, bacteria and viruses.

Generally, the main environmental causes of cancer are related to the personal environment of an individual and include lifestyle choices such as tobacco use and diet among others. External environmental factors referring to agents in the environment like environmental pollutants, sun exposure and radiation also increase cancer risks.