[Environment and cancer : not easy to dissect the exposome !]

Environment contains numerous potentially toxic substances among which certain have demonstrated to be carcinogenic. They can reach the human organism mainly through the repiratory or digestive routes. Even if it is not always easy to demonstrate a causal relationship in observational studies whose interpretation is limited by numerous confounding factors, some compounds from the environment are clearly associated with a higher risk of cancers. The present article describes the effects of both outdoor and indoor air pollution, pesticides, some endocrine disruptors and radiations. The identification of environmental factors associated with a higher risk of cancer allows implement eradication strategies and thereby efficacious prevention.