Is alcohol carcinogenic? Thinking about the warnings on label | It could happen in Canada, like for cigarettes. But the industry does not agree...

The topic is really much debated: according to a recent study published by the journal The Lancet Oncology, alcohol plays an important role in cancer risk. What's more: although more than 7,000 cases of cancer attributable to alcohol were recorded in Canada in 2020, only a quarter of Canadian drinkers are aware that this substance could affect oncological diseases. This is stated by the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research of the University of Victoria, which highlights how alcohol, as well as tobacco, is classified by the International Center for Cancer Research in Group 1 of carcinogenic substances for humans.

Fawaad Iqbal, a radio-oncologist at the Durham Regional Cancer Center in Ontario, believes it is appropriate for alcoholic beverage labels to carry warnings about the risks of cancer associated with their consumption, in the same way as for cigarette packets. And following the publication of the study, the debate has heated up, and also at the institutional level we are considering the possibility of intervening with warnings on labeling.