New research suggests a link between a high rate of infant disorders in the Haifa region and air pollution caused by heavy industry situated next to the northern port city. Symptoms of pollution-related disorders include smaller-than-average heads and relatively low weight, in addition to the high rates of cancer identified in previous studies, Channel 2 News reported Sunday, January 31.
Residents from the Haifa Bay area demonstrate against air pollution. (Photo: Megama Yeruka)
The Haifa Bay is home to oil refineries, power plants, manufacturers of chemicals and metals and a major port, all of which have been a source of concern for residents after recent studies found higher cancer rates in the surrounding towns. The circumference of some infants’ heads has been recorded at 20-30 percent less than elsewhere, says the research by the University of Haifa, which was commissioned by the Health and Environmental Protection Ministries and was only due to be published in a couple of months.
The study identifies Kiryat Haim, Kiryat Bialik and southeast Kiryat Tivon as the epicenters of pollution-related disorders, and says residents there are five times more likely to develop lung cancer and lymphoma as those living elsewhere in Israel.
Hadash MK Dov Khenin (Joint List), who heads the Knesset’s social-environmental caucus, said “the serious finding about infant morbidity combines with findings that are already known to us about the scope of people suffering from cancer and lung diseases in the Haifa area.” The subcommittee for planning and environment in the Haifa Bay, which he headed in the previous Knesset, had submitted a detailed program to cut emissions, which included halting plans to expand refineries and to create a new port for fuels, he added. “The dramatic investigation illustrates just how urgent it is to implement the subcommittee’s recommendations, and to put a stop to the government policy, which gives preference to the polluting industries over public health.”
Hadash MK Aymen Odeh (Joint List), who lives in Haifa, said that the report “showed once again that the government abandoned the public’s health for the sake of the special interests of the wealthy,” saying that the far right government gave up on the lives and health of Haifa residents, as well as the nearby Arab villages. “It is up to us to stand together, all of us residents, and prevent the advancement of these dangerous projects. We won’t give up on our health and the health of our children.”
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