Minister Cassar and medical experts insists ‘no link’ between power stations and cancer

Health Minister Joe Cassar and medical expert panel insist that Malta’s power stations are not significant cause of cancer and asthma.

Minister Joe Cassar insisted that the Marsa and Delimara power stations are not a leading cause of cancer or respiratory diseases, insists they are operating within EU emission regulations.
Minister Joe Cassar insisted that the Marsa and Delimara power stations are not a leading cause of cancer or respiratory diseases, insists they are operating within EU emission regulations.

Health Minister Joe Cassar, flanked by a panel of medical experts, said that there is no tangible link between the Marsa and Delimara power stations and higher incidence of lung cancer, asthma, or other respiratory diseases.

This comes in the wake of recent claims by Labour Leader Joseph Muscat that the Marsa and Delimara power stations are the cause of widespread respiratory diseases, who dubbed them "factories of cancer."

During the address, Minister Joe Cassar was pressed by the media to answer to these claims and justify government's rebuttal a handful of days ago. He was also referred to a case reported in local media of a woman suffering from cancer.

Cassar insisted that the government has "made it clear with statistics and research, that there is no link between a heavy-fuel oil power station, and cancer."

He insisted that "the probability of association of asthma is related to traffic and other factors, and not power stations using HFO."

Cassar also warned against using specific medical cases to generalise across entire areas or medical conditions. He also warned against using individuals or specific cases to score political points.

Cassar insisted that Malta's two power stations - both Marsa and Delimara - are operating within EU emission regulations, adding that the Environment and Health Ministry are working with Enemalta to ensure that EU directives are being respected and monitoring is on going.

Pressed about the role that power station air pollution plays in cancer and asthma, Cassar however insisted that in medicine, "it is impossible to be ever 100% sure. Medicine is not the field of absolutes. We can never know for sure."

He however pointed to the evidence presented by the medical expert panel.

The panel said that there are no findings that suggest that Malta's power stations are a leading cause of cancer, asthma, or other air-quality related health complications.

The panel downplayed factors such as power station pollution, pointing instead to what they insisted were far larger contributors, such as both first-hand and second-hand smoking, high-congestion traffic flows, and genetic predisposition towards the inheritance of such medical conditions.

The panel was composed of consultant oncologist Dr Nicholas Refalo, consultant respiratory physician Dr Martin Balzan, Director of health promotion and Prevention Dr Charmaine Gauchi, Director of Department of Health Information and Research Dr Nevile Calleja, National Health Screening Programmes Head Dr Nadine Delicata, and national health and screening consultant Mr Joe Psaila.

Dr Neville Calleja said that according to the World Health Organisation data, cancer in Malta in general is "at the bottom of the league in Europe" according to 2008 figures, adding that "we are the 2nd lowest."

Both mortality rates and incidence rates are below EU average, and in terms of asthma, Calleja said "it is well known that we have a high rate of asthma in Malta, as confirmed by international studies."

He said that what is positive is that while the incidence of asthma in children increased between 1995 and 2001, the same rate dropped among teenagers. He also said that the lowest rate of asthma is in the South-East of Malta.

Calleja also said that the leading cause of lung cancer is "clearly" smoking, adding "while other causes exist, we would be kidding ourselves if we did not mention smoking as the leading cause."

"In terms of links with power stations, I researched foreign literature. I found studies linking coal-fuelled power stations with lung cancer. However with regards to fuel oil, the only study I found linking lung cancer with fuel oil are old studies dating back to before EU emissions regulations were introduced."

He also said that today, both power stations are operating with low sulphur emissions.

Regarding asthma, Calleja said that there are many factors affecting asthma, but insisted that "there is a strong element of con-genital inheritance. Meaning that 60% of asthma cases are inherited."

He noted that other environmental factors include the home environment, such as pets, smoking in the household.

"Obviously, as one goes down the list, one doesn't need to spell out, one finds pollution," he however conceded.

Calleja said that while it is true that asthma is on the rise, Malta is not alone, but conforms with a global trend where allergy-related illnesses, including asthma, are increasing across the EU.

Similarly, Dr Nicholas Refalo emphasised that lung-cancer is overwhelming related to smoking. He said that lung-cancer is the most frequent type of cancer, and that "9 out of every 10 cases are generally related to smoking."

"Air quality is undoubtedly significant, but it plays a minimal part," he said. "If smoking had to be cut out completely, lung cancer would become almost inexistent."

Regarding the power station issue, Refalo said that given Malta's size. "It is very hard to measure cancer with regards to higher or lower rates in specific areas given how one has such a small area. Malta is smaller than most cities in fact."

"I have no evidence that shows that there is one area of Malta that is harder hit than others by this sort of cancer," Refalo said.

Dr Martin Balzan recounted a study he had conducted between 1989 and regarding people who receive hospital care for asthma.

He noticed that Fgura and Cottonera, between 1989 and 1994, in adults aged between 15 and 55, the incidence of asthma was three times higher than the national average. He said that a similar hotspot was Msida.

Balzan said however said when the university tunnel was constructed and traffic was deviated away from Msida, the rate of asthma in Msida dropped to the national average - while Fgura and Cottonera remained a hotspot.

He said that the biggest environmental contributor were air particulates, which he said rose and dropped along with traffic peak hours.  He also noted that the Dry Docks used to have regular grit-blasting.

While he said that "the hardest thing in science is to establish cause and effect," he said that this suggests that the higher-than-average asthma incidence rate is related to the traffic created by the Zabbar road, than it is related to power stations."

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Huwa insult mhux ghal-pazjenti li huma stess irridu lil min jaqbes ghalihom, izda ghal-intelligenza tan-nies li tuza esperti li huma impjegati tieghek stess imhalsin mit-taxxi tal-poplu biex jizzvijaw il-pazjenti stess. Dawn l-impjegati bil fors irridu mil-ministru u nafu kif issiru il-hatriet Malta. Ma nghixux fil-qamar.
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Another, very predictable, GonziPN response to brush all the problems of their making under the carpet.
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Residues (petroleum), thermal cracked Fuel oil, Heavy Fuel Oil Classification Carc. Cat. 2;R45, Repr. Cat. 3;R63, Xn;R20-48/21, R66, N;R50-53 Health hazards Acute toxicity, inhalation Carcinogenicity Reproductive toxicity Specific target organ toxicity - repeated exposure Environmental hazards Hazardous to the aquatic environment - long-term hazard Category 4 Category 1B Category 2 Category 2 (liver) Category 1 Harmful if inhaled. May cause cancer. Suspected of damaging the unborn child. May cause damage to organs (liver) through prolonged or repeated exposure. Very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects Govt. employees are NOT independent experts. They should not be put in a position which is purely political.
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JIEN NAQBEL LI IL POWER STATION GHANDA TKUN IMHADDMA BIL GAS IMMA HUWA TA GHAJB U ANKE INSULT LEJN MIN SFORTUNATAMENT HU MARID BIL KANCER LI WIEHED JINQED BIL MARDA BIEX JIGGUSTIFIKA IL HSIEB TIEGHU.
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I am sorry to say that the Minister and his experts under his employment fail to see the point. Firstly, it is the people who complain and suffer. Secondly, ask any doctor especially one present during the meeting, whether he has claimed a relationship between allergies and asthma and the prevalent wind direction from the Marsa power station, and its effect on the Fgura and surrounding area. The Honorable Minister claims that power station pollution is not significant; he did not state that it is not important, and he knows he would be foolish to say so. There are no studies proving that combustion products for a HFO power station are safe. The problems may not be due to the low sulphur emissions, but I ask, how about other carcinogenic substances produced? Here are a few excerpts from an International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). “One sample of fuel oil No. 2 was tested by skin application to mice and produced skin carcinomas and papillomas” just imagine what can occur in a delicate organ like the lungs! “Two large historical cohort studies of workers were conducted in Japan. In the first, an excess of lung cancer was observed among men exposed to kerosene, diesel oil, crude petroleum and mineral oil considered as a group. In the second, an excess of stomach cancer was observed among workers possibly exposed to kerosene, machine oil or grease. Leukaemia was reported to have occurred in excess in industries where kerosene, paraffin oil or petroleum combustibles were said to have been used or produced.” “In a large case-control study, a significant excess of colorectal cancer was associated with estimated exposure to solvents and fuel oil. In a second, an excess of stomach cancer was associated with exposure to kerosene, and excesses of rectal cancer and oat-cell lung cancer with exposure to heating oil”. Overall evaluation “Residual (heavy) fuel oils are possibly carcinogenic to humans”. Considering the above, no one can declare that the aromatic combustion products of heavy fuel oil are definitely harmless and not carcinogenic, and the risks would be expected to be more in children and pregnant women. Then there is also the problem of soil, water and crop contamination which can be ingested. I suppose the people affected are fed up of being treated as idiots and guinea pigs. And my last argument, if the gases are so harmless, why on earth were the powerstations situated in the southernmost tip of Malta. Fuel Oils (Heating Oils) (IARC Summary & Evaluation, Volume 45, (1989) http://www.inchem.org/documents/iarc/vol45/45-06.html
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Priscilla Darmenia
Are there statistics or is there a study of the incidence of lung cancer, asthma, or other respiratory diseases by area in Malta. If I remember correctly some months ago in the papers I read that a doctor from the south made some study and arrived at a different result than what the minister and his experts are stating here.
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Ara tressqux il-power station qrib in-nofs ta Malta, u ara ikunx hemm konnessjoni mal-mard. Kieku iktar minn Alfred Hitchcok jaqilu stejjer tal-biza.
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'independent' medical panel- seems not since most are government employees! why dont the medical experts and minister go and breath the chimney fumes and see if they have any 'significant' health issues- or rather one dont they have their children have a few daily chimney puffs with their cereals.
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Just like when it was revealed that certain filters were switched of for months on end. Of course Minister Cassar like the other ministers and the PM himself all know better then the rest of us.
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Minister Joe Cassar and his panel of so called medical experts are but PN stooges who would say anything the PN wishes them to say. Besides, the statistics quoted by the 'experts' refer to the national incidence, and perhaps they should go and consult the GPs practicing in the south of Malta. Besides, what they are saying about traffic and drydocks and what not is but rubbish stated in an attempt to downplay the Delimara HFO problem.
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Wow cassar and his experts didnt need to go to all of this trouble to tell us about pollution ,we all know about cigarettes and transport pollution and hey having pets .So what now ? should we all throw our pets out on the streets thats a great idea !the main question is yes our power stations are polluting our air and yes we should use cleaner energy to decrease air pollution.Thankyou board of experts but i choose a better cleaner energy plan for my childrens future even if its 1% lesser pollution ,the lesser the better.
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If Minister Cassar and his experts are so certain of ‘no link’ between the emissions of the power stations and the incidence of asthma and cancer why don't they and their families go and live permanently near one of the power stations. They have a choice: Delimara or Marsa. Take your pick. Come on Cassar, Balzan, Calleja and Refalo show us you have the proverbial balls. Otherwise all your assurances are but EMPTY WORDS and we can then conclude that you can afford to be complacent with other people's health but not your own. In which case shut up ans wrap up. We have had more than enough of PN political convenience.
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Joseph MELI
This Health Minister and his exact same council of elevated minds -so-called "experts"(one defintion of which is someone who knows more and more -about less and less)said pretty much the same about the" no known link" beteween Mobile Phone Masts and Antennae and any associated illnesses without providing any concrete evidence to claim 100% that no such links exist and not adopting nor culivating the industry-ackowledged Precautionary Principle(these so-called "experts" probably have never heard of it or know of its existence) instead preferring the Profit over Prevention principle.
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Anette B Cassar
http://naei.defra.gov.uk/pollutantdetail.php?poll_id=16