Council chief executive Professor Ian Olver said, ???Alcohol has always been associated with less common malignancies like liver and - in conjunction with smoking - head and neck. But evidence of its association with common [cancers] like breast and bowel makes the population impact far greater.??? Professor Olver added that the new evidence of its link to a broader range of cancers made alcohol ???one of the most carcinogenic products in common use???. Professor Olver said while the ???risk from cancer starts from zero???, this also meant that, regardless of how much someone drank, reducing intake would also reduce risk. If they could keep within the NHMRC guidelines, their risk would be very low.

Cancer Council guidelines state there is no safe level of alcohol consumption, and abstaining altogether is the only way to eliminate the risk of developing certain cancers. Professor Olver explained that the risk was small for up to a couple of drinks a day but people needed to be aware that not drinking at all could further reduce their risk, particularly if they had other risk factors such as family history.

Research has also shown that only 9 per cent of Victorians are aware of the link between alcohol consumption and cancer risk, which new television advertisements aim to highlight. A new advertising campaign will begin today warning those who choose to drink to stick to the National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines, which would be two standard drinks a day.