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can you get cancer from a hot water bottle?

Because it's been such a cold winter i've had to use a hot water bottle to warm up my bed every night for the last couple of months, and we don't have the heating on that much so sometimes I will make a hot water bottle during the day when i'm just sitting round the house, and either put it on my feet or hug it to myself like a hot watery baby.

But something is troubling me.
If i'm spending hours every day with a heat source held close to my body, could it potentially cause some sort of change in my cells? could it give me skin cancer?
Would, say, 20 hours of hot water bottle usage have the same affect as 1 sun bed session? Except without the uv rays obviously, just the heat I mean.

Obviously this is something I could never ask my G.P. about. I don't want her to think i'm a moron.

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so post on here and thousands can instead!
Reply 2
Avatar for wallflower*
wallflower*
OP
11
hypocriticaljap
so post on here and thousands can instead!


Well answer my question then if its so obvious!
Reply 3
Avatar for grape:)
grape:)
22
You can't get cancer from a hot water bottle.
The Daily Mail would say so.

Skin cancer isn't caused by heat.
Reply 5
Avatar for meenu89
meenu89
19
Of course not, I love hot water bottles as well.
Reply 6
Avatar for Marcus_Q
Marcus_Q
No they can't... i did get a very bad burn from one the night before last though :frown: It blistered and everything :O
I think you'll survive :p:
wallflower*
Because it's been such a cold winter i've had to use a hot water bottle to warm up my bed every night for the last couple of months, and we don't have the heating on that much so sometimes I will make a hot water bottle during the day when i'm just sitting round the house, and either put it on my feet or hug it to myself like a hot watery baby.

But something is troubling me.
If i'm spending hours every day with a heat source held close to my body, could it potentially cause some sort of change in my cells? could it give me skin cancer?
Would, say, 20 hours of hot water bottle usage have the same affect as 1 sun bed session? Except without the uv rays obviously, just the heat I mean.

Obviously this is something I could never ask my G.P. about. I don't want her to think i'm a moron.


Skin cancer is caused by harmful UV rays from the sun/sunbeds. Hot water bottles don't emit UV rays, just heat.
Reply 9
Avatar for wallflower*
wallflower*
OP
11
Lindsey123
The Daily Mail would say so.

Skin cancer isn't caused by heat.


No but i've heard that drinking very hot tea often can increase the risk of throat cancer. So would it be possible for a hot water bottle against the skin for a long time to cause damage in some way?
Reply 10
Avatar for Sambo2
Sambo2
10
wallflower*
Because it's been such a cold winter i've had to use a hot water bottle to warm up my bed every night for the last couple of months, and we don't have the heating on that much so sometimes I will make a hot water bottle during the day when i'm just sitting round the house, and either put it on my feet or hug it to myself like a hot watery baby.

But something is troubling me.
If i'm spending hours every day with a heat source held close to my body, could it potentially cause some sort of change in my cells? could it give me skin cancer?
Would, say, 20 hours of hot water bottle usage have the same affect as 1 sun bed session? Except without the uv rays obviously, just the heat I mean.

Obviously this is something I could never ask my G.P. about. I don't want her to think i'm a moron.

no.. there is cerntainly no evidence to suggest that.
Yes, along with just about everything

Hot water baths, Duvets, Central heating

everything gives you cancer
wallflower*
No but i've heard that drinking very hot tea often can increase the risk of throat cancer. So would it be possible for a hot water bottle against the skin for a long time to cause damage in some way?


The rule of thumb is; everything causes cancer.

So unless you want to lie in a darkened room for the rest of your life, you've just got to ignore those sort of wild media headlines.
http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html/skin_cancer.html#4 >> read that

And, i highly doubt that, so a NO, simply because temperatures are different for sunlight and the hot water bottle, and its not like your putting the bare hot water bottle on, it is covered with that protective layering, to prevent burning of the skin. Also for cancer to be caused, the cells need to be damaged, hot water bottles cant do that much damage to our cells. My mum has been using hot water bottles for so many years, and ehh she is fine iA and so are loads of other mature people, who probably use hot water bottles everyday. Plus its not the heat, that gives you cancer, its the rays from sunlight
:rofl:

No.
I doubt it. The most you might get is a burn if the water is too hot.
No...by being alive you're at risk of cancer lol
Reply 17
Avatar for wallflower*
wallflower*
OP
11
Thanks people, these answers have reassured my somewhat.
My hot water bottle love will continue.
:lolwut: I've never heard of that. Then again, I have heard that anything can give you cancer :dontknow: Why not ask a Biology teacher or something?
A hot water bottle does not emmit high freequency electromagnetic waves, alpha particles or beta particles.

So, to conclude.

No. Just no.

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