Environmental Health in Israel | 2014

Selected Environmental Health Data and Trends According to the WHO, an estimated 24% of the global disease burden and 23% of all deaths can be attributed to modifiable environmental factors, including diarrhea, lower respiratory infections, injuries and malaria. This chapter presents current data in Israel (and long-term trend data when available) on selected health endpoints associated with exposure to environmental contaminants (including radiation, endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), lead, indoor pollution, ambient air pollution). Cardiovascular Diseases Cardiovascular diseases have been associated with exposure to air pollution, exposure to chemicals such as lead, and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). According to WHO estimates, exposure to outdoor air pollution accounts for approximately 2% of the global cardiopulmonary disease burden. Cardiovascular disease is the second leading cause of death in Israel in men over 45 and women ages 45–74. In Israeli adults, between 2007 and 2010 10.2% of men were diagnosed with heart disease, compared to 7.1% of women. Rates of cardiovascular- related mortality decreased by 70% in Israel between 1980 and 2011. Asthma Asthma development and exacerbation can be triggered by a variety of indoor and outdoor environmental exposures, including dampness, ETS, and air pollution. In 2008, the prevalence of asthma in children ages 13–15 (based on self-report) was 7.2% (7.2% for Jewish children, 7.0% for Arab children). This rate is slightly higher than that reported in 1997 (7.0% overall) and 2003 (6.4% overall). In adults over age 21, 5.8% reported between 2007–2010 that they were diagnosed with asthma. Cancer Environmental and occupational risk factors have been linked to many types of cancer, primarily lung cancer, stomach cancer, leukemia, and melanoma. This report presents data on selected types of cancer: melanoma, which has been linked to excessive UV exposure; childhood leukemia, which has been linked to exposure to radiation and chemical agents; and testicular and breast cancer, which have been linked to exposure to EDCs. Based on data from the Israel National Cancer Registry of the MoH which includes an estimated 94% of solid tumors and an estimated 85% of non-solid tumors, rates of both invasive and in situ melanoma of the skin in Jews increased from 1980–2008 and decreased from 2008–2010. In non-Jews incidence rates have been unstable. During 2000–2010 incidence rates of leukemia in children, ages 0–4 have been unstable (minor increase in both Jewish males and non-Jewish females and a decrease in both Jewish females and non-Jewish males). Incidence of in situ breast cancer increased both in Jewish and Arab women from 1990 to 2010 (the increase since 1996 can be explained by the National Mammography Program). Incidence of invasive breast cancer increased in Jewish women between the early 1990s and 1998 and then decreased steadily until 2010. In Arab women, invasive breast cancer rates more than - 83 - Environmental Health Indicators and Trends