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• Published 00:00 08.10.07
• Latest update 00:00 08.10.07
1,250 Israelis die each year from
pollution-related cancer
Disease incidence in Haifa, Tel Aviv and Be'er Sheva areas much higher
than anticipated, according to Health Ministry report
By Ran Reznick and Yuval AzoulayTags: cancer Israel environment
Environmental pollution causes death by cancer of 1,250 Israelis every year,
according to the draft of a Health Ministry Report released yesterday.
The report is based on epidemiological estimates from the West, especially from the
United States. These figures suggest that between 3 percent and 8 percent of all
cancers are caused by environmental pollutants. The main culprits are vehicle and
industrial pollution, but water and soil contamination are also implicated. According
to Health Ministry statistics, every year about 25,000 new cases of cancer are
discovered, including 450 cases affecting children.
The latest report includes an ecological survey that maps the incidence of cancer in
the 2001-2005 by region. It revealed particularly high rates of cancer in three
"morbidity clusters" that correspond with three major urban areas: Haifa and its
bayside suburbs, Greater Tel Aviv and Be'er Sheva and environs. During the period
surveyed, the rate of cancer in these areas was between 12 percent and 26 percent
higher than expected for the size of the population. The morbidity clusters are
characterized by intense urbanization (mainly in Haifa and Tel Aviv), and increased
vehicular traffic. Some of the residential areas within the clusters are close to large
industrial zones where very large amounts of hazardous materials, some of which
are known carcinogens, are in use.
According to the report, cancer rates in the Haifa area in the 1997-2005 period
were 22 percent higher than expected. In Greater Tel Aviv, cancer rates are
increasing steadily and in 2005 were 20 percent higher than expected for the size
of the population. In the area around Be'er Sheva, the study revealed an increase
of between 18 percent and 26 percent in comparison to 2001. The most common
cancers in this cluster were cancers of the breast, bladder, colon, lungs, brain and
nervous system.
Health Ministry figures indicate that the cancer rate in Be'er Sheva, especially
among men, is the highest in Israel. The report points to a clear connection in
Israel between high rates of urbanization and high incidence of cancer, in keeping
with figures from the West. A senior Health Ministry official pointed out yesterday,
however, that since the Be'er Sheva region is not highly urbanized and has far less
vehicles than the Tel Aviv region, it is likely that the reason for its high cancer rates
is at least partly due to the proximity of residential areas to industrial areas using
large numbers of hazardous and carcinogenic materials, such as the factories in the
Ramat Hovav industrial area.
The authors of the survey determined that known risk factors for cancer such as
smoking, advanced age, ethnic background, socioeconomic status and the timing of
early detection methods do not explain most of the cancer morbidity in the three
cancer clusters. The communities with the lowest rates of cancer during the survey
period were the areas around Hadera, Netanya, Petah Tikva, Ramle, Rehovot and
Ashkelon. The cancer rates in Jerusalem, Safed, the Lake Kinneret area and Acre
were in line with statistical projections.
The figures were announced at a press conference held yesterday by the Israel
Cancer Association to draw attention to the organization's annual door-to-door
fund-raising campaign, which will take place next Monday. The figures were
presented by Dr. Micha Barhana, director of the Health Ministry's Cancer Registry
and the principal author of the draft report. The authors of the report noted that
while the survey does not prove a causal relationship between factors such as
environmental pollution and the cancer morbidity rate, it is likely that the high
cancer rates in the three clusters "stems if not mainly then at least partly from
environmental pollution."
Health Ministry officials called for action to reduce exposure to environmental
carcinogens, especially within the cancer clusters.
"It is not right to wait for incontrovertible scientific proof (which may not come for
several years) before taking active steps to reduce environmental exposures in
general and in the morbidity clusters in particular, especially when Israel has
knowledge about air pollution in those areas."
According to the survey, the most common cancers in Israel are breast cancer in
women (4,000 new cases a year); cancer of the colon and the rectum (3,000 new
cases); prostate cancer (2,000 new cases); lung cancer (1,500 new cases);
lymphoma (1,300 new cases); skin cancer (1,200 new cases); bladder cancer
(1,100 new cases); cancer of the brain, kidney, blood and stomach (600 new cases
annually for each cancer); pancreatic cancer (500 new cases) and uterine cancer
(400 new cases).
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This story is by:
• Ran Reznick
• Yuval Azoulay
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