Study links toxic refuse to breast cancer in Naples
United-States funded report says rates 'worrisome'
30 July, 18:43
(ANSA) - Naples, July 30 - Women in Naples are 47% more
likely to get breast cancer than people in the rest of Italy,
according to an epidemiological study financed by the United
States government.
An Italian white paper explaining the findings, called
Campania, Land of Poisons, was presented by publisher Il Denaro
on Monday in Naples.Researchers blame the elevated cancer rate on improper disposal and incineration of toxic refuse - ills they say stem from organized crime and public incompetence. Antonio Giordano, director of the Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research at Temple University in Philadelphia, and Giulio Tarro, head physician emeritus of Cotugno hospital in Naples, spearheaded the study which found cancer rates elevated by as much as 80% in some towns of the Campania region.
"Thirty years of Camorra (mafia) and improperly disposed toxic refuse cost the zones of northern Naples and southern Caserta a mortality index of 9.2% among men and 12.4% among women," Giordano explained at the presentation.
A mortality index indicates the percentage of deaths beyond what one would normally expect.
The study found breast tumors in women under 40 constituted 15% of the total caseload between 2000 and 2008. The rate is worrisome because women that young do not undergo regular screening, reducing the chance of catching tumors early.
Giordano said a forthcoming study will show the fastest rise in breast cancer among women between the ages of 30 and 35.
Brochure: 
