HEALTH Minister Andreas Gavrielides yesterday dismissed a Green Party list of so-called cancer hotspots as irresponsible, populist and dishonest.
“The only thing the Green Party deputy [George Perdikis[ has achieved is to alarm people and make them feel insecure,” he told the Cyprus Mail.
But Perdikis defended his decision to make the information public on the ground that the Ministry had a responsibility to investigate each and every concern regarding public health.
In fact, he expressed surprise that his sense of responsibility and motives were being called into question.
“I’m surprised at these questions. Instead of bothering to ask the competent services why they have not carried out surveys in areas which have displayed increased incidences of cancer, I’m being asked why the Greens published such a list,” said Perdikis.
On Thursday, the Green party leader published a “map of death” listing specific areas around the island which had displayed higher incidences of cancer. Nicosia appeared to fare the worst, with 20 hotspots including Engomi, Pallouriotissa, Athalassa Avenue and Strovolos Avenue. The districts of Paphos, Larnaca, Limassol and Famagusta were also included, but with much lower incidences than the capital. The party based its findings on data it had secured and assessed from the Health Ministry. The figures involve information dating between the years 2001 and 2006.
Perdikis maintains that these areas need investigation, and said concerned citizens had reported the increased cancer numbers.
“We merely listed the areas the Health Ministry have in their possession and hope that by making them public it will pressure the Ministry into conducting studies,” he told the Mail.
“People should not have to live in ignorance. It could possibly be a coincidence or it could be environmental factors [that cause the increase], but studies need to be conducted and made known.
“Instead, the Ministry conducts studies and hides the results,” he added.
Over the years, concerns have been raised that the electromagnetic waves emitted from mobile phone antennas have been the cause of increased cancer rates in certain areas. Despite the consensus of the international scientific community that the power from these mobile phone base station antennas is far too low to produce health hazards as long as people are kept away from direct access, the issue keeps recurring.
The Health Minister said the Green Party had not received any information from his Ministry on which a scientific study could have been based, let alone reached the conclusions it had, and called on the Greens to publish their “study”.
He added: “Electromagnetic waves have some effect on health, yes, but so do a number of common facilities in our homes, such as microwaves, which are in much closer proximity.”
Quoting World Health Organisation statistics, Gavrielides said smoking, nutrition and stress were far greater cancer risk factors than environmental factors.
“These statements [by Perdikis] are unfair. As a rule, the Health Ministry safeguards citizens’ health and always responsibly informs the public of the results of any tests, inspections and investigations it carries out,” he said.
But Perdikis maintains there is no policy to investigate health concerns.
“There is no state policy on studies so that the people can be informed of possible health problems caused by environmental factors. We need to be informed,” he said.
In spite of Perdikis’ demand for more comprehensive information, a Ministry source told the Mail that the Green deputy had apparently only leafed through the list of data before making Thursday’s statements.
“There was no survey, merely a quick glance through it and an inaccurate regurgitation of facts, which has only served to alarm people. It was clearly an attempt to win votes [for next month’s parliamentary elections],” he said.
Gavrielides said the Ministry took citizens’ requests for further investigation very seriously and that studies into certain areas were in the pipeline; as for studies recently concluded, they first had to be evaluated and examined before being made public, as was the protocol in such matters.
He said: “To blame environmental factors for someone developing cancer after just moving somewhere five months ago is just nonsense. You need to take all factors into account.”
He added: “[But] in light of the overabundance of requests of a similar nature to conduct studies at a regional level, the Health Ministry is planning to conduct a national study that will provide evidence and scientifically supported facts. It is upon this that the reliability of claims regarding increased incidences of cancer or other conditions, which are mentioned from time to time, will be based.”
Armed with these results, the Ministry will then go ahead and set up a national strategy for a rational approach to studies which concern the effect of environmental or other factors on residents’ health, Gavrielides said.
