carcinogenic

adjective

car·​ci·​no·​gen·​ic ˌkär-sə-nō-ˈje-nik 

: producing or tending to produce cancer

a carcinogenic substance/compound/chemical

a chemical that has been found to have carcinogenic effects

Removing the carcinogenic mineral—used for years as a pipe and tank insulator—is a highly regulated process …

—Jefferson Kolle

carcinogenically

ˌkär-sə-nō-ˈje-ni-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

The plant derivatives … are less carcinogenically active than those from the fossil fuels.

—Peter Bernfeld

carcinogenicity

ˌkär-sə-nō-jə-ˈni-sə-tē 

noun

The scientist, Dr. Bruce Ames, of the University of California at Berkeley, was the developer of the most widely used rapid laboratory test … for detecting the probable carcinogenicity of chemicals.

—Philip M. Boffey

Did you know?

It sometimes seems as if the list of carcinogenic substances gets longer every day. A substance such as a food additive that's been in common use for years may unexpectedly show signs of being carcinogenic in laboratory experiments. When that happens, the suspected carcinogen will often have to be withdrawn from the market. When a building material like asbestos turns out to be a carcinogen, it may also have to be physically removed from buildings. English has hundreds of other scientific words ending in -genic (such as allergenic), and in almost all of them the ending means "causing".

Examples of carcinogenic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Burning vinyl chloride can create dioxins, which are carcinogenic, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. —Mark Osborne, ABC News, 9 Apr. 2024

Read More: Why Are So Many Young People Getting Cancer? Even with this designation, aspartame isn’t necessarily carcinogenic, says Schuval. —Perri Ormont Blumberg, TIME, 9 Apr. 2024

Plus, that radiation also depletes the ozone layer, causing carcinogenic UV rays to reach the surface. —Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 18 Mar. 2024

Hexavalent chromium is a highly acidic and carcinogenic chemical that can cause skin irritation when touched and respiratory problems when inhaled. —Andee Capellan, NBC News, 13 Mar. 2024

Eleven years later, researchers employed by the Forest Service published a paper that found that smoke from prescribed burns contained elevated levels of carbon monoxide and particulate matter, including benzene and formaldehyde, both of which are carcinogenic. —ProPublica, 16 Mar. 2024

Both the International Agency for Cancer Research and the EPA have determined that benzene is carcinogenic to humans. —Cara Lynn Shultz, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024

On top of those side effects, animal studies and lab research have shown that the gas is carcinogenic. —Korin Miller, Verywell Health, 2 Feb. 2024

Vinyl chloride burning can create dioxins, which are carcinogenic, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. —Alex Presha, ABC News, 2 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

carcinogenic

adjective

car·​ci·​no·​gen·​ic ˌkärs-ᵊn-ō-ˈjen-ik 

: producing or tending to produce cancer

the carcinogenic action of certain chemicals

—Journal of the American Medical Association

carcinogenically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

carcinogenicity

-jə-ˈnis-ət-ē 

noun

plural carcinogenicities