Health News
Government: Pollution has made cancer top cause of death in China
May 21, 2007, 11:37 GMT
Beijing - Widespread pollution has caused cancer to become the leading killer in China, a newspaper reported Monday, citing a government study.
A Health Ministry survey of 30 cities and 78 counties found that rapidly increasing air and water pollution as well as the use of pesticides and food additives are the main cause behind the quickly rising cancer rates, the China Daily reported.
'Many chemical and industrial enterprises are built along rivers so that they can dump the waste into water easily,' Chen Zhizhou, a health expert with the cancer research institute affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, told the newspaper. 'Excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides also pollute underground water. The contaminated water has directly affected soil, crops and food.'
Pollution 'is getting worse day by day,' he added.
Of the 10 most lethal illnesses recorded last year in China, cancer was number one, followed by cerebrovascular and heart diseases, the government survey found.
Major contributors to the cancer rates were found to be air pollution that causes harmful particles to become lodged in the lungs, formaldehyde and other compounds used in building renovations and furniture, and additives used to make livestock grow faster.
Reports of so-called cancer villages, where residents have high rates of cancer deaths, have also been cropping up in recent years, particularly on highly polluted sources of water.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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WindyNov 1st, 2007 - 21:49:51
And China and the Olympic Committee expect every country to send it's best athletes
to compete in this environment? Ouch.
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