Eddie Van Halen thinks he developed cancer from sucking on metal guitar picks

quote:

---

Eddie Van Halen blames his metal guitar picks for developing mouth cancer, according to TMZ. He also theorized about the cause in a 2015 interview with Billboard.
Sources told TMZ that Van Halen has been traveling between the US and Germany to receive treatment for years.
Van Halen lost a third of his tongue due to mouth cancer in 2000, and is currently receiving treatment for cancerous cells in his throat.
However, Dr Tom Micklewright from Push Doctor told Insider that copper and zinc are not carcinogenic, and it was most likely Van Halen's heavy smoking that was to blame.
The small health impact of metals like cobalt, nickel, and lead are far outweighed by the "proven effect of tobacco smoke on a vast range of human cancers," he said.

---

quote:

---

Eddie Van Halen blames his metal guitar plectrums for developing cancer, according to TMZ. Sources told the site that the guitarist has been flying between the US and Germany to treat throat cancer, which he thinks was caused by the picks he used to keep in his mouth during shows.

Van Halen was diagnosed with mouth cancer in 2000, and had a third of his tongue removed as treatment. But some of the cancer cells have made their way down his throat, TMZ reported, so he has started new treatments to remove them.

---