Environmental Health in Israel | 2014

 Figure 2 Source: Israeli Ministry of Health (7) factors. Recent toxicological and epidemiological studies indicate that in utero exposure to EDCs during development is associated with obesity and overweight later in life. Based on self-report in 2010–2012, 34.1% of adults 21 and older were overweight, while 15.7%were obese. In children, in 2013, 20.3% of first-grade students were overweight or obese, while 30.4% of seventh-grade students were overweight or obese. According to CBS data 50.1% of the population in Israel 15 and older is overweight or obese. Diabetes Exposure to EDCs has been linked to diabetes and prediabetic disturbances. For example, high dioxin levels have been associated with increased risk for diabetes or altered glucose metabolism. In Israel, there has been a monotonic increase in childhood Type 1 diabetes (ages 0–17), from 8.0 per 100,000 in 1997 to 13.9 per 100,000 in 2011 (Figure 2). Incidence Rate (per 100,000) of Type 1 Diabetes in Children, 1997–2011 In adults, incidence rates increased from 1997 to 2011 in both Jews and Arabs, with a 44% increase in incidence among Jews and a 55.6% increase among Arabs. Mortality rates from diabetes (including both Types 1 and 2) increased dramatically in Israel from the early 1980s to 1999 and since then have steadily decreased. Congenital Anomalies Selected congenital anomalies have been linked to in utero environmental or occupational exposures to chemicals, radioactivity, and ambient air pollution. The WHO estimates that 5% of all congenital anomalies are attributable to environmental factors. The rate of congenital heart malformations, which has been linked to ambient air pollution, has been stable from 2000–2010. The rate of hypospadias, a malformation of the male urogenital system which has been linked to exposure to EDCs, has increased slightly from 31.73 per 100,000 in 1974–1978 to 33.4 per 100,000 in 2004–2008. 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 Incidence per 100,000 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Year - 85 - Environmental Health Indicators and Trends