We must tackle environmental triggers of cancer in our country
What you need to know:
The potential areas that could be triggering the rising cancer cases is the food we consume
Uganda has lost many high-profile people to cancer recently, including the Speaker of Parliament. As usual, the public debate that ensued has mainly been about the need to equip our health infrastructure to effectively treat cancer cases.
Unfortunately, this kind of debate is narrow because it focuses on only treatment of the disease and not the causes of cancer which are largely environmental in nature. The contaminated food we eat daily and the increasingly polluted air we breathe are key environmental risk factors triggering cancer cases in Uganda.
Environmental exposures contribute to the global burden of disease. In most countries globally, the environmental attributable fraction of disease or burden is a major public health metric that is tracked and reported. The burden of disease attributable to the environment can be expressed as the percentage of total deaths attributable to the environment. If available, publishing such information could be a wakeup call to the country to appreciate the environment-health link.
The potential areas that could be triggering the rising cancer cases is the food we consume. Several times, the media has reported how the vegetables and grains in our markets have high levels of cancer-causing chemicals. It is no secret today that most of the tomatoes sold in Uganda are sprayed with pesticides to extend their shelf lives. Despite this, the practice has continued. As a country, our focus on food safety has primarily been on testing food for export and not what is being consumed locally. The Government must take keen interest in the safety of food consumed by Ugandans and to devise strategies of reducing contamination.
Occupational exposure to cancer causing substances is another area that requires serious attention. Many workers in our industries and other places of work have no personal protective gear. They breathe in these dangerous substances and chemicals every day. No wonder, they tend to develop health problems in their 50s having breathed in cumulatively the dose that triggers the onset of cancer. Our deteriorating air quality in Kampala should be a reason to worry as well. Globally, around 3 million deaths were attributable to ambient particulate matter pollution in 2012. The deaths resulted from lung cancer, ischemic heart diseases, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease amongst others.
How much of Uganda’s disease burden can be prevented by living in a cleaner environment? Certainly, a cleaner environment can significantly reduce the burden. Where do we start? Attributing our disease burden to environmental risk factors is an essential step to take. We need to identify the risk factors which are major drivers of our disease burden to enable us to uncover the potential measures. We must emphasize the link between the environment we live in and the status of our health. I am happy that Nema has undertaken some initiatives including elimination of the use of mercury in Uganda because it is a known carcinogen.
Therefore, we need to broaden the debate around the increasing cancer cases in Uganda. The solution must take a multi-dimensional approach with a focus on prevention first and then followed by treatment. The Ministry of Health needs to publish vital health statistics to inform our cancer debate and action. Together, we can fight cancer!
Jamil Kusiima, Environmental Consultant with Tenvicon.
