July 19, 2008 08:42 pm
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I read a recent article in a local newspaper about the number of cancer deaths in certain counties in Texas. I assume, the premise was to suggest that cancer deaths ratios between counties were increased due to power plants. There are numerous issues that were not addressed, and since I am neither an epidemiologist nor a statistician, I am not able to suggest the cause and effect of any differences in this rate. Nor would I jump to the conclusion that these differences were related to the coal plant in Freestone County which I suspect was the direction the article was intended. We need to be concerned about health issues that are related to our environment that do affect us — not only cancer, but asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and a hosts of other conditions. Talking about the power plant issue is good. Not presenting a broad range and number of solutions for improving our environment and economy is missing a golden opportunity. But, let’s talk about other related issues and not a single source of concern — the building of natural gas power plants in Navarro County.
A lot of environmentally related health concerns are a matter of personal choice. We all know the dangers of tobacco use and smoking not only for the person smoking, but also second hand smoke. Education about the ill effects is working. Among adults, in the U.S., smoking has declined from 42 percent of the population in 1965 to about 20 percent now. Is smoking common among young people, yes? Tobacco use, including, smoking cigarettes, using chew or spit tobacco, and dipping snuff, is common among American youth. Other problems have been linked to smoking. Studies have shown that students who smoke are more likely to use other drugs, get in fights, carry weapons, attempt suicide, and engage in high-risk sexual behaviors. Does tobacco use cause cancer? Yes, tobacco use causes one-third of all cancer deaths in the U.S. as documented by the American Cancer Society (ACS). Further the ACS lists other carcinogens including smoking, diet, sun exposure, infectious diseases, as well as chemicals and radiation in our homes and workplace. There are different types of air pollution listed on the ACS Web site which includes radon, diesel exhaust and second hand smoke.
Exposure to diesel exhaust is widespread Trucks, buses, trains, construction and farm equipment, generators, ships, and some cars have diesel engines. Health concerns about diesel exhaust relate not only to cancer, but also to lung and heart diseases. One particular area of concern that has been studied is children’s exposures to diesel exhaust and other vehicle pollutants while going to school on diesel school buses.
Second hand smokes causes heart disease and lung cancer to non-smokers. Exposed children are at risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), acute respiratory problems, asthma, ear infections and slow lung growth. There is still concern that there is a potential for breast cancer being linked to second hand smoke.
The American Cancer Society also lists several chemicals which pose high risks for cancer from carcinogens including Asbestos, Lead, Arsenic, Agent Orange, Benzene, a solvent linked to leukemia and Tetrachloroethylene use in dry-cleaning and textile processing. Regulators have identified these harmful effects and have taken action to reduce and eliminate the use.
Viruses are also of great concern when talking about causing cancer — Human papilloma viruses (HPVs) linked to cervical and other cancers, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) another type of herpes related virus linked to lymphomas and other types of cancers, Hepatitis B and C — increases chance of developing liver cancer and HIV which results in a weakened immune system and linked to a high risk of developing numerous types of cancers.
So in essence, I would hope to show that it is a big leap to show very small statistical increases in the rate of cancer in Freestone and Navarro County being related to power plants. There are a lot of other factors including the facts that we are rural agricultural areas, with lower incomes and below state average education levels which contribute to higher risks for exposures and which may increase rate of some types of cancers. But it is good to talk about it and remind us that there are ways we can improve our environment and exposures to health risks. We should look at other avenues for becoming a more “green” community as other DFW cities have initiated.
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Submitted by Ann Massey, Corsicana.
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