Reducing exposure to harmful chemicals found in everyday products can save the country up to €519 million a year, according to a report by the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL).

Cancer is on the rise worldwide, not least in Malta where it affects close to 2,000 people annually. The disease is responsible for 27 per cent of deaths in the country.

Bad lifestyles are a major factor but scientific evidence linking the risks of cancer with environmental factors has increased in recent years.

This creates an urgent need for policies that reduce exposure to endocrine-disruptors – chemicals that produce adverse developmental, reproductive, neurological and immune effects. They are found in products used daily, such as food and beverage containers and cosmetics.

“Cleaner air and reduced exposure to harmful chemicals in everyday products are two important interventions that can help prevent cancer and help close the current gap in cancer prevention efforts,” HEAL executive director Génon Jensen said.

Ms Jensen referred to recent EU statistics showing that 99 per cent of Maltese consider environmental protection important to them personally because of the impact on public health. This was four per cent higher than the European average and air pollution was the primary concern.

‘Counting on him to keep his word’

She was the keynote speaker at the World Cancer Day Conference held yesterday at the President’s Palace in Verdala.

President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca stressed the need for research and studies to be based on local experiences, especially when addressing how cancer can be prevented.

The focus of the conference, organised by the Action for Breast Cancer Foundation, was on the primary prevention of cancer through changes in environmental policy.

HEAL brings together more than 70 networks and groups concerned with how the environment affects health in Europe. It makes a point in its report on ‘Health costs in the European Union’ that the EU can save up to €31 billion a year by reducing exposure to harmful chemicals.

Hormonal cancers, such as those of the breast, prostate and testes, are increasingly linked to chemical exposures. The incidence of all three cancers rose rapidly in recent decades in Europe.

Experts agree the upward trends cannot derive entirely either from genetics or an aging population or better screening. Environmental exposures are among the likely causes. For example, within the past 18 months, the World Health Organisation’s cancer agency (IARC) has officially recognised air pollution as a contributor to lung cancer.

In a video address to the conference, European Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella welcomed greater focus and action on environmental policy to promote cancer prevention.

“World Cancer Day is not only meant to make us think but, more so, to make us act,” he said.

When Times of Malta asked Ms Jensen what action Mr Vella could take, she said: “We are counting on him to hold true to his word to push through the air quality proposals that are on the table, which could not only help save lives – almost half a million Europeans die early each year – but also bring economic savings to our healthcare system.”

At the conference, attention was drawn to the fact that the Malta Cancer Plan ended this year. Ms Jensen said this was “a great opportunity” for the government to strengthen the focus on environmental policy to promote cancer prevention in the new plan being prepared.

Health Parliamentary Secretary Chris Fearne acknowledged the role environmental policy played in cancer rates but said this was one of a string of factors that also related to lifestyle: smoking, alcohol, obesity and inactivity were all contributing factors.

While more than a quarter of deaths in Malta were linked to cancer, Mr Fearne pointed out the survival rate in the country was above the EU average. He said early detection was crucial.

Environment Minister Leo Brincat confirmed the link between environmental pollution and cancer saying the IARC had long been saying that a large number of cancer cases had a direct or indirect link with environmental factors.

The examples he listed as proof the government was addressing this problem were the waste management plan, the power station’s switch to gas, the closure of the Marsa power station and a commitment to improve air quality.

The Nationalist Party’s spokesman for the environment, Ryan Callus, stressed two main problems he felt required urgent attention: the use of diesel, which research linked to carcinogenic substances, and the presence of asbestos in a number of buildings around the country.

Health shadow minister Claudette Buttigieg praised the decision to retain Boffa Hospital as well as the efforts made to revise the national cancer plan, stressing its importance. She also praised the President’s launch of the National Cancer Platform that brought together 11 NGOs working in the sector.