Facing an especially cold winter this year, many people are attempting to stay warm by taking long, hot showers or baths, a practice that could increase the risks of cancer if done in an enclosed space, doctors said yesterday.
While many people enjoy taking a hot bath or shower, few are aware of the health risks associated with the activity, they said.
Chiang Shou-shan (江守山), a nephrologist at Shin-Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, said taking long, hot showers or baths for more than 20 minutes in a confined space with no circulation of fresh air could have a negative impact on a person’s health, because small amounts of chlorine and trihalomethanes (THM) found in tap and drinking water become volatile when the water is heated.
The chemicals can enter the body through the respiratory -system as a person breathes in the steam, Chiang said.
The longer the hot shower, the more THMs a person inhales, Chiang said.
Increasing shower time from five minutes to 10 minutes, for example, could cause a person to breathe in four to five times more THMs, he said.
THM is a byproduct of the small amount of chlorine added to the water supply by municipal authorities as a disinfectant. However, overexposure to THMs can increase the risks of developing various forms of cancer, including colon cancer, pancreatic cancer and bladder cancer.
The chemicals are also harmful to the liver and kidneys, and could increase the risks of miscarriage in women, he said.
Lin Ja-liang (林杰樑), a specialist in clinical toxicology at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in New Taipei City’s (新北市) Linkou District (林口), said that by limiting hot showers to less than 10 minutes and reducing the temperature of the water, a person could drastically decrease the amount of THMs absorbed by the body.
Turning on the fan in the bathroom to allow for air circulation was also a good way to avoid breathing in too many toxins from a steamy shower, he said.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
RSS