""If you look at a car passing by, you see smoke coming out of it that's illegal in Lebanon. But nobody enforce[s] it," says Mokda, the chief strategy officer of population health at the University of Washington. As a result, Beirut has terrible air quality and is often submerged under a blanket of exhaust. And it's not just in the big cities vehicles belch pollution across the country. It's one reason that cancer is surging in Lebanon."
"Mokdad co-authored a global survey that revealed that the tiny nation on the Mediterranean is experiencing the fastest increase in cancer incidence and mortality anywhere in the world. According to the study, published in The Lancet, the frequency of new cancer cases in Lebanon has increased by an astounding 162% from 1990 to 2023, with cancer-related deaths increasing by 80% over that same period. In 2023, for every 100,000 people in the country, there were 233.5 new cancer cases."
Lebanon has experienced a dramatic rise in cancer: new cases increased 162% from 1990 to 2023 and cancer-related deaths rose 80% in the same period. In 2023 there were 233.5 new cancer cases per 100,000 people. Major contributors include widespread air pollution from vehicles and diesel-fueled generators used because of unreliable state electricity, and excessive use of agricultural chemicals that contaminate waterways. The cancer burden is highest in a short time span compared with other countries, with rising incidence and mortality projected to continue globally through at least 2050, especially in low- and middle-income nations.
#lebanon #cancer-incidence-and-mortality #air-pollution-and-diesel-generators #agricultural-chemical-pollution
Read at www.npr.org
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