intermediate definition an intermediate is a substance formed during a middle step of a chemical reaction between reactants and the desired product
The international pictogram for chemicals that are sensitising, mutagenic, carcinogenic or toxic to reproduction. A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that is an agent directly involved in causing cancer. This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes. Several radioactive substances are considered carcinogens, but their carcinogenic activity is attributed to the radiation, for example gamma rays and alpha particles, which they emit. Common examples of non-radioactive carcinogens are inhaled asbestos, certain dioxins, and tobacco smoke.
In many cases, carcinogens are first found to cause cancer in lab animals and are later found to cause cancer in people. Most studies of potential carcinogens expose the lab animals to doses that are much higher than common human exposures.herefore, it can be very hard to definitely link any particular exposure to cancer. By combining data from both types of studies, scientists do their best to make an educated assessment of a substance's cancer-causing ability. When the evidence is conclusive, the substance is labeled as a carcinogen.